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The risk of body packing: a case of a fatal cocaine overdose. 2005

Steven A Koehler, and Shaun Ladham, and Leon Rozin, and Abdulrezak Shakir, and Bennet Omalu, and Joseph Dominick, and Cyril H Wecht
Allegheny County Coroner's Office, 542 Fourth Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15219, USA. skoehler@county.allegheny.pa.us

The process of swallowing or inserting illegal packets of drugs for the purpose of evading law enforcement officers carries risks other than criminal charges. It can be fatal. Individuals engaged in such activities are called "Body Packers" or "Mules". The most frequent cause of the death among body packers is acute drug intoxication due to rupture of the package(s) within the gastrointestinal tract. We present the first documented case of a body packer that died from cocaine intoxication following the rupture of packets of cocaine in Western Pennsylvania.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D008297 Male Males
D003042 Cocaine An alkaloid ester extracted from the leaves of plants including coca. It is a local anesthetic and vasoconstrictor and is clinically used for that purpose, particularly in the eye, ear, nose, and throat. It also has powerful central nervous system effects similar to the amphetamines and is a drug of abuse. Cocaine, like amphetamines, acts by multiple mechanisms on brain catecholaminergic neurons; the mechanism of its reinforcing effects is thought to involve inhibition of dopamine uptake. Cocaine HCl,Cocaine Hydrochloride,HCl, Cocaine,Hydrochloride, Cocaine
D003415 Crime A violation of the criminal law, i.e., a breach of the conduct code specifically sanctioned by the state, which through its administrative agencies prosecutes offenders and imposes and administers punishments. The concept includes unacceptable actions whether prosecuted or going unpunished. Kidnapping,Poaching,Crimes,Kidnappings
D005547 Foreign Bodies Inanimate objects that become enclosed in the body. Foreign Objects,Gossypiboma,Retained Surgical Instruments,Retained Surgical Items,Retained Surgical Needle,Retained Surgical Sponge,Retained Surgical Tools,Textiloma,Bodies, Foreign,Body, Foreign,Foreign Body,Foreign Object,Gossypibomas,Object, Foreign,Objects, Foreign,Retained Surgical Instrument,Retained Surgical Item,Retained Surgical Needles,Retained Surgical Sponges,Retained Surgical Tool,Surgical Instrument, Retained,Surgical Instruments, Retained,Surgical Item, Retained,Surgical Items, Retained,Surgical Needle, Retained,Surgical Needles, Retained,Surgical Sponge, Retained,Surgical Sponges, Retained,Surgical Tool, Retained,Surgical Tools, Retained,Textilomas
D005554 Forensic Medicine The application of medical knowledge to questions of law. Legal Medicine,Medicine, Forensic,Medicine, Legal
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000328 Adult A person having attained full growth or maturity. Adults are of 19 through 44 years of age. For a person between 19 and 24 years of age, YOUNG ADULT is available. Adults
D041981 Gastrointestinal Tract Generally refers to the digestive structures stretching from the MOUTH to ANUS, but does not include the accessory glandular organs (LIVER; BILIARY TRACT; PANCREAS). Digestive Tract,GI Tract,Digestive Tracts,GI Tracts,Gastrointestinal Tracts
D017809 Fatal Outcome Death resulting from the presence of a disease in an individual, as shown by a single case report or a limited number of patients. This should be differentiated from DEATH, the physiological cessation of life and from MORTALITY, an epidemiological or statistical concept. Fatal Outcomes,Outcome, Fatal,Outcomes, Fatal
D018765 Dopamine Uptake Inhibitors Drugs that block the transport of DOPAMINE into axon terminals or into storage vesicles within terminals. Most of the ADRENERGIC UPTAKE INHIBITORS also inhibit dopamine uptake. Dopamine Reuptake Inhibitors,Inhibitors, Dopamine Reuptake,Inhibitors, Dopamine Uptake,Reuptake Inhibitors, Dopamine,Uptake Inhibitors, Dopamine

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