Drugs courier dies on BA flight

[newswatcher]

From the BBC:

"A suspected drugs courier collapsed and died on a British Airways flight from Jamaica.

The 27-year-old man collapsed in the aisle foaming at the mouth, according to horrified passengers. It is believed that packages of drugs burst inside his stomach.

The plane diverted to Puerto Rico to be met by a medical team but the victim was certified dead on the runway.

Holidaymakers on the weekend flight had thought it was a terrorist incident.

One said: "When the pilot reported that we were diverting and that there had been a death on board everyone thought the worst. We were on the ground for about four hours.

"A nurse who tried to treat the man said it was obvious cocaine had seeped from packages in his stomach."

A British Airways spokesman said: "We can confirm that that a passenger was reported ill on a flight from Montego Bay via Kingston to Gatwick.

"We had seen him at the check-in and he had been constantly talking on a mobile. He looked very suspicious."

The flight was forced to return to Montego Bay for 24 hours so the cabin crew could meet rest requirements. It arrived at Gatwick at noon on Sunday."

[JPJ]

Customs are said to have have arrested as many drug swallowers in the first seven months of this year as in the whole of last year. Usually cocaine, typical amount, £20-30,000 worth at street value.

[ 17 October 2001: Message edited by: JPJ ]

[Vfrpilotpb]

In view of the comments about the guy looking suspicious, and in the light of what happened on September the 11Th, does it not smack of quick complacency on the part of the BA ground staff, after all he could have had sinister intents, is it safe to trust any of these ground staff? :eek:

[tech...again]

If airlines were to start denying travel to everyone talking on mobile phones at check-in desks, there would be NO passengers left...! Not that there are many now.

And the definition of suspicious is obviously open to hundreds of differing forms of interpretation. Violence, agression, even rudeness - fine. But it's just not as easy as a lot of people think to legally refuse someone carriage.


:mad: