Romano Dias only thought he was drinking a harmless health drink, but after swallowing it and complaining it was “awful” and that it led to an irritated throat, it turned out to be his last swig.
The 55-year-old who lived in Cambridgeshire, U.K., consumed what he thought was a fruit beverage, but in reality it was $54,000 of pure crystal methamphetamine, Cambridge News reported. The deadly bottle was delivered to his daughter Katee’s home three years ago, with the right address but the wrong name on the package. She kept it, believing someone would come to claim it. Six months passed and she finally opened the parcel, finding the bottles, which she gave to her father some undetermined time later.
Dias’ partner Debra told authorities that he opened the bottle, whose label led him to believe what he was drinking was safe, and removed a cork that he found under the cap. He took a drink and immediately complained of the taste and said his throat was burning. He then became violently ill, saying “I am in trouble here. I am dying, I am dead.” He was dead shortly afterward.
Cambridgeshire Detective Inspector Ian Simmons said he believes the package was intended for a drug dealer and that the delivery may have been an attempt to introduce the drug into that part of Britain, where it is rarely seen.
Local medical examiners say they had considered filing unlawful killing charges, but with no evidence that the intended target was Dias, the death was determined to be accidental.