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| Cocaine pear juice death: Joromie Lewis 'wholly innocent' | Cocaine pear juice death: Joromie Lewis 'wholly innocent' |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| A man who died after drinking a Caribbean pear juice drink laced with cocaine was "wholly innocent", police have said. | A man who died after drinking a Caribbean pear juice drink laced with cocaine was "wholly innocent", police have said. |
| Detectives said Joromie Lewis, 33 worked for the company that imported the drink and had picked the bottle off a warehouse floor last Thursday. | Detectives said Joromie Lewis, 33 worked for the company that imported the drink and had picked the bottle off a warehouse floor last Thursday. |
| He fell ill and died in hospital shortly afterwards. | He fell ill and died in hospital shortly afterwards. |
| Laboratory analysis showed the bottle of Cold Cole Pear-D contained a lethal amount of cocaine. | Laboratory analysis showed the bottle of Cold Cole Pear-D contained a lethal amount of cocaine. |
| Hampshire Police said the bottle was part of a consignment brought into the company by the import-export company that employed Mr Lewis. | Hampshire Police said the bottle was part of a consignment brought into the company by the import-export company that employed Mr Lewis. |
| 'Sinister manner' | 'Sinister manner' |
| It was part of an order placed by a third party, police said. | It was part of an order placed by a third party, police said. |
| Supt James Fulton said: "It is something which is known as a method that drug-smugglers will use as a way of bypassing border checks. | |
| "Tragically, it has gone horribly wrong when Mr Lewis has wholly innocently had a drink from this bottle." | |
| Mr Lewis, a Royal Navy veteran, lived in Gosport, Hampshire and was a member of Bridgemary Church in the town. He came originally from St Vincent and the Grenadines. | Mr Lewis, a Royal Navy veteran, lived in Gosport, Hampshire and was a member of Bridgemary Church in the town. He came originally from St Vincent and the Grenadines. |
| Cole Cold Pear-D is manufactured in the Caribbean by a company that does not export it to the UK for sale in shops. | Cole Cold Pear-D is manufactured in the Caribbean by a company that does not export it to the UK for sale in shops. |
| Manufacturers SM Jaleel & Co Ltd said: "We can only assume that the product entered the United Kingdom through irregular and unauthorized means and is therefore considered contraband. | Manufacturers SM Jaleel & Co Ltd said: "We can only assume that the product entered the United Kingdom through irregular and unauthorized means and is therefore considered contraband. |
| "As a company we are shocked and saddened to see our product abused and used in such a sinister manner." | "As a company we are shocked and saddened to see our product abused and used in such a sinister manner." |
| It said it had now recalled from across Trinidad & Tobago all bottles from the batch containing the code BB JAN 08 14, from which the contaminated bottle came, as "a precautionary measure". | It said it had now recalled from across Trinidad & Tobago all bottles from the batch containing the code BB JAN 08 14, from which the contaminated bottle came, as "a precautionary measure". |
| On Thursday the Food Standards Agency issued an alert for shops to withdraw the drink if they find it. | |
| The agency said investigations were continuing to find out whether more bottles of the product had been distributed in the UK. | The agency said investigations were continuing to find out whether more bottles of the product had been distributed in the UK. |
| A post-mortem examination was carried out on Mr Lewis's body on Saturday, but the results were inconclusive and further tests are being carried out. | A post-mortem examination was carried out on Mr Lewis's body on Saturday, but the results were inconclusive and further tests are being carried out. |