Man tries to hide bags of drugs in his mouth and dies, Florida deputies say
A Florida man fell ill and died after deputies said he tried hiding multiple bags of drugs in his mouth.
Cornell McKinney, 54, became unresponsive Wednesday, Aug. 21, as he and four others were being held outside a suspected drug house in DeLand, according to the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office.
Authorities were there to execute a search warrant as part of a drug investigation, the office said in a news release.
During the search, McKinney wouldn’t respond to detectives’ questions, sparking their suspicions that he was trying to hide or swallow drugs, deputies said. Detectives asked McKinney to open his mouth multiple times, but he refused.
Paramedics were called in as McKinney declined to spit out what was in his mouth, according to authorities. He fell unconscious soon afterward.
“Fire personnel began life-saving measures and recovered three plastic baggies from McKinney’s mouth/throat, two of which contained suspected heroin/fentanyl and crack cocaine,” deputies said.
He was taken to a hospital where he died, according to deputies.
Authorities said an autopsy is pending and the case remains under investigation.
DeLand is about a 40-mile drive northeast from Orlando.