Body packing with a twist: Death of a salesman

Reported cases of death due to oral ingestion of lidocaine are rare. We report the case of a known cocaine dealer who died after swallowing a small packet of white powder, thought to be cocaine, during a relatively routine arrest. The authors describe how the deceased differed from the usual 'body packer' and alert the forensic community to be wary of what may first appear to be another 'garden-variety' cocaine death.