Former sailor Joromie Lewis, 33, did not realise the Pear D drink - which had been imported from the Caribbean - contained the drug
A Royal Navy veteran was killed after taking one mouthful of a pear fruit drink which he did not realise was laced with large amounts of cocaine.
Joromie Lewis, 33, had a drink of Pear D while unpacking a delivery at the food and drink firm where he worked.
He then spat out a mouthful of the juice because it tasted bitter and unpleasant. Seconds later he collapsed and was rushed to hospital and died hours later.
It later emerged that the father-of-one had been poisoned by an "overwhelmingly large" overdose of cocaine.
An inquest today heard that tests carried out on the bottle of Pear D, which was imported from the Caribbean by Kelly's Shipping Ltd, where Mr Lewis worked, showed it contained a very large amount of the drug.
Grahame Short, coroner for Central Hampshire, tonight said: "On December 5, 2013, Joromie drank from a bottle at his employer's garage where he was unpacking a delivery of drinks. The bottle was labelled Pear D and he only took one mouthful and spat it out."
Pathologist, Dr Basil Purdue said Joromie, from Gosport, had 21.3mg of cocaine per litre of blood. A lethal dose is considered to be 1.2 grams and an addict can tolerate five grams a day.
Mr Lewis worked as a driver for the company and after sipping the drink, felt unwell straightaway and was shaking and collapsed on the floor.
Speaking about the level of cocaine in Mr Lewis' body, Dr Purdue, said: "It could have been higher because there was a delay at the laboratory."
Mr Lewis, a former sailor, was discharged from the Royal Navy in 2012 due to suffering back problems.
Giving the cause of Joromie's death as cocaine intoxication, Dr Purdue added: "The amount of cocaine in his bloodstream was overwhelming large."
The drink would have contained 1g of cocaine in 3ml of liquid.
Juanette Allen, of Southampton, ran Kelly's Shipping Ltd with her partner Chris Kelly. She told the inquest in Winchester, Hampshire, that Mr Lewis was working with them almost full time in the run-up to Christmas after the pair met in St Vincent, from where the drinks were imported.
Ms Allen, who worked in admin for the Royal Navy, said some of the drinks were sourced by local agents and the company helped to transport them.
She said the particular batch of Pear D was collected from Portsmouth harbour by Mr Lewis but she stressed she had not ordered any Pear D.
She told the inquest that the van load of drinks arrived at Portsmouth docks on November 24 and Mr Lewis collected it two days later.
She told the jury that Mr Lewis and his friend, Carlos Deabreu arrived at her house at around 6.30pm on December 5.
"One of my friends wanted some of the juice and Joromie lives near her so I asked him to get it. He came into the kitchen with a bottle in his hand. When he had a sip, he said it didn't taste right.
"I did not see how much he swallowed. He went to the sink and spat it out and tried to make himself sick," she told the inquest.
Ms Allen added that she thought the drink may have time-expired.
"He asked for something sweet because it tasted bitter and I gave him the juice I was drinking. He told me to call Kelly. I didn't think he was in any danger at that stage."
Ms Allen called her partner and Mr Lewis told her to get the drink tested before Carlos drove him to hospital.
When quizzed by Mr Lewis' family solicitor, Fiona Canby, on what steps were being taken to prevent it ever happening again, Ms Allen said: "We have decided not to import drinks for the company or anyone since."
In a statement read to the inquest, chemist Carole Willis, of Hampshire Scientific Services, said the bottle contained 189 grams of cocaine.
Detective Sergeant Glyn White, from Hampshire Police, was asked to investigate the death.
He told the jury: "We were told that when Joromie arrived at the Royal South Hants Hospital he had already started to suffer fits. He was not capable of stepping out of the vehicle and collapsed through the doors."
Mr Lewis was taken by ambulance to Southampton General Hospital, where he died just after 11.30pm - around five hours after sipping the drink.
Det Sgt. White added: "A decision was made once we realised it was a lethal dose, to notify local agencies and Public Health England and ask them to conduct their own inquiries."
Police discovered a woman named Samantha McDadi had asked for the Pear D order, but her mobile number was only in use for a very short time and no arrests were made.
Det. Sgt. White said: "We are not convinced the person using the name Samantha exists. No-one has been prosecuted for importing illegal drugs in relation to this incident."
The jury of six men and six women recorded a verdict of accidental death as a result of cocaine intoxication following the six-hour inquest.
Mr Short said: 'This was a tragedy in the real sense of the word. This was a man working to support his family consuming what he thought was a soft drink."
Mr Lewis' widow, Jayrusha, was too upset to speak after the inquest. At the time, she said in a statement her husband was a "selfless and devoted family man."
The statement continued: "His exemplary conduct and actions touched the lives and hearts of many."
The jury gave a verdict of accidental death.
