Teacher dies in first class lounge after swallowing bag of cocaine
A British mother of three died after swallowing a bag of cocaine in a first class airport lounge, an inquest into her death has found.
According to the BBC, it’s believed Victoria Buchanan, 42, ingested the drug at Manchester airport after realising it was in her possession while she waited to fly home to Dubai in March last year.
She reportedly collapsed a short while after washing the bag of drugs down with a glass of champagne. She was rushed to hospital and later pronounced dead.
The inquest found the sealable bag containing the drugs had burst in her stomach.
Assistant coroner Andrew Bridge concluded the death was an accident. Speaking at the inquest, he said: “My question is what on earth was she thinking?”
British media reported that Ms Buchanan had purchased £200 ($360) worth of cocaine with her husband Mark during a holiday in the UK. After realising she still had a portion of the banned substance left, she decided to swallow it.
Onlookers at Manchester Airport initially believed Mrs Buchanan was having an anaphylactic shock and administered an epipen she had in her handbag for a palm oil allergy.
After being taken to Wythenshawe Hospital less than 10 minutes away, she was pronounced dead the following day.
"During her post-mortem a plastic resealable bag was found in her stomach and it was ruled that further examination was required," said Dr Jon Hopper of Wythenshawe Hospital in a statement.
Ms Buchanan is originally from Scotland but worked in the United Arab Emirates as a teacher. She was known for helping impoverished children in Nepal through a charity set up to improve their education, according to The Sun.
Her and her husband were visiting family in the UK. Mr Buchanan, who had flown home a couple days earlier, told the inquest the couple were recreational users of the drug and that it was something they would do together during holidays.
When handing down his finding from the inquiry, the coroner pointed to brain damage caused by cardiac arrest which was brought about by the cocaine intoxication.
"Why she took such a risk will never be known but I'm satisfied it was done of her own volition and there was no coercion or threat, there was no criminal activity and no charges have been brought," he said.
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