Inquest finds drugs mule who was 'jumping over seats' died after ingesting cocaine on flight

John Kennedy Santos Gurjao became so agitated and distressed on board the Aer Lingus flight of the 18th of October 2015 that he bit a passenger and jumped over seats.

Coroner for Cork County, Frank O'Connell, was told at the inquest into the death that Mr Kennedy Santos Gurjao became distressed about an hour into the flight.

The coroner paid tribute to the "heroism" of the cabin crew and off duty nurses on board who valiantly tried to save John whilst maintaining the safety of the aircraft.

Witness, Olga Pinto, said she knew John and had met him at the airport. The Portuguese national said that John seemed nervous and was sweating prior to the flight. She attributed his anxiety to travel sickness.

She said during the flight she noticed that the young man was jumping over seats and that people were screaming.

She translated what he was saying from Portuguese for the cabin crew. She recalled that he was shouting "I am going to die." She said in evidence that it was as if John was "possessed."

"Stuff was coming out of his mouth and he bit a man on the arm.

I couldn't tell if he was puking blood or if it was from where he bit the man.

"He kept saying 'I am dying."

Ms Pinto said she knew that John was nervous going on board as it was the last day of his Irish visa and he was concerned about getting entry into the country. The court heard that he planned to renew his visa when he started an English course in Dublin. She stated he had previously studied in Ireland.

The plane was diverted to Cork Airport arising out of the incident. Gardaí indicated that Ms Pinto was arrested in Cork after white powder was found in her luggage. She was released without charge. No charges were brought because the powder was found to be flour.

Aer Lingus Cabin Crew member, Orla MacCarvill, said that she first noticed that a serious incident was underway when she spotted the "horrified" face of a fellow airline employee.

She said a man subsequently identified as the Brazilian national was climbing over seats. She stated that John "bolted" to the toilet and locked the door.

Ms Pinto told her that John needed medication for air sickness and he took two tablets. He was given oxygen.

She said Mr Kennedy Santos Gurjao had to be handcuffed on board the flight given his level of agitation. They didn't attempt to strap him in to his seat because he was "too violent." He became "wild and aggressive."

Ms MacCarvill informed the cockpit of the situation and a decision was made to divert the plane to Cork Airport. Nurses on board the flight rushed to the assistance of the Brazilian and they performed CPR for well over 40 minutes before landing. Cabin crew also tried to help him.

ICU nurse, Keith Carroll, from Dublin was among those who tried to assist John. He told the inquest at the Cork International Hotel that John was in such a manic state that he had to be restrained by handcuffs.

Initially Mr Carroll thought that John was having an epileptic seizure. However, his subsequent agitated state pointed to another cause.

Mr Carroll and other nurses on board performed sustained CPR in a bid to save the Brazilian man. However, there was little to nothing they could do to save him given that a cocaine pellet had burst in his body.

Garda Owen O'Mahony said that Mr Kennedy Santos Gurjao was pronounced dead on arrival at Cork Airport by a local medic. He said Ms Pinto was arrested after a white substance was found in her baggage. However, this was found not to be a controlled drug but was instead flour.

An examination of the 113 pellets recovered from the body indicated that John had one kilogramme in weight of cocaine in his body with a street value of €70,000.

Assistant State Pathologist, Dr Margaret Bolster, carried out a post-mortem examination on the young man. She said the deceased had ingested 113 capsules of cocaine, of various sizes, which were covered in black plastic material. He died from acute cocaine intoxication. The death was recorded as accidental poisoning.

Coroner Frank O'Connell paid tribute to the cabin crew and the nurses and doctors who tried to assist the stricken passenger. He said they had made "heroic efforts" in what must have been a frightening experience. He claimed the cabin crew coped admirably given that when something like this happens you don't know where it is going to end.

Speaking after the inquest Mr O'Connell said the death of Mr Kennedy Santos Gurjao was a warning to all those who are thinking of importing drugs in their body.

"Unfortunately if you are carrying drugs in your body and one of the capsules burst the results are probably going to be fatal. This man was simply poisoned with cocaine where just one of the capsules broke. There was no hope for him.

"As I was reading the statements, I was trying to envisage how I would have reacted if I was on board. It must have been absolutely terrifying.

"I was very impressed with the senior cabin crew who coolly made the decision to inform the co-pilot that she would not be going in to the cockpit again and would be communicating with them by telephone. She didn't know how this was going to end. "

Mr O'Connell said if something goes wrong for a drug mule it is almost certainly fatal.

"It is Russian roulette. If it is cocaine or another Class A type drug if it bursts and gets in to your system you are going to die."

John was a native of Calcoene in Brazil. He was one of nine siblings and lost his parents at a young age. It is understood that his relatives didn't realise he was out of the country and the circumstances of his death came as a terrible shock.

He was laid to rest in Cork at a funeral officiated by a local priest. His family were made aware of the proceedings yesterday.

No details were given as to how much the deceased was to be paid for bringing the drugs in to Ireland. However, drug mules are said to make as little as €1,500 to carry these massive amounts internally.

There is a minimum 10-year sentence for anyone caught with more than €13,000 in drugs in Ireland.