Five Released Over Gosport Cocaine Drink Death

7 April 2014, 12:39 | Updated: 30 March 2016, 13:50

Five people have been released with no further action following the death of a Hampshire Royal Navy veteran who died after drinking a pear drink laced with cocaine.

Joromie Lewis, 33, of Kings Road, Gosport became ill immediately after drinking the pear fruit drink, which contained a lethal amount of the drug.

His death on December 5 2013 led the Food Standards Agency to issue an alert to all local authorities to contact retailers to withdraw any bottles of Pear D from their shelves. Detectives believe the drink may have been used by drug smugglers to import cocaine into the country in a liquid form.

Hampshire Police arrested and bailed four men and a woman. They have now been released with no further action.

Mr Lewis consumed the drink in Southampton on December 5 and died within hours at Southampton General Hospital.

A Hampshire Police spokesman said that one of its lines of inquiries was that the drink had been used to smuggle cocaine into the UK in a liquid form.

Police have established that the bottle of Cole Cold Pear D fruit drink was manufactured in the Caribbean and the company did not export this drink to the UK.

Mr Lewis' widow, Jayrusha Lewis, said in a statement released after his death that her husband was a "selfless and devoted family man''.

She said: "Joromie Lewis was a Royal Navy veteran, originally from St Vincent and the Grenadines.

"He was a devoted family-oriented man with a selfless attitude to help others, and always knew the right words and advice to give.

"His exemplary conduct and actions touched the lives and hearts of many.

"He was a member of the Bridgemary Family Church.''

Two men and a woman from Southampton, all aged 37, were arrested on December 23rd.

Two men aged 33 and 39, both from London, were arrested on December 20th and 22nd. They were all bailed until April this year when they were released with no further action.