FATAL HEROIN BODY PACKING

The deaths of 10 heroin body packers are reported and contrasted to th ose of cocaine body packers, Only one was a woman, and all were travel ing to or from Colombia. Drug packets deteriorated in the gastrointest inal tract and caused the deaths of eight victims. Accomplices removed drug packets from two of these smugglers after death occurred. One di ed of peritonitis stemming from a small-bowel obstruction caused by th e drug packets, and one died from the recreational use of heroin (nasa lly ingested). The heroin recovered was less than or equal to 881 g, a nd the drug purity of the contraband in three cases was between 65% an d 73%. Blood concentrations of morphine were <1.0 mg/L in four victims ; no morphine was detected in the smuggler who died of peritonitis. Ho wever, two victims had blood morphine concentrations of 4.4 mg/L and 6 .7 mg/L, respectively, and three had morphine concentrations of 35.8, 39.4, and 52.6 mg/L, respectively. Fatal heroin body packing differs f rom cocaine body packing in that individuals may have extremely high d rug levels in their blood and their accomplices appear to be more like ly to abandon them in a remote location after attempting to remove the drug packets after death has occurred.