John Kennedy dos Santos Gurjao, 24, was unable to find work in his home city of Calcoene, Brazil, and decided to move to the Equator city of Macapa for a better life. However, he soon found himself in a business that eventually led to his death.
According to reports by the Irish Mirror, Gurjao was on a plane from Lisbon to Dublin when he began to act erratically while the flight was in mid-air. Several people attempted to restrain him, but he continued to scream and attack people who were close. At one point, he bit a passenger who grabbed him while trying to keep him under control.
The plane was eventually diverted and landed at the Cork airport in Ireland. When authorities arrived on the plane, he began shaking profusely and eventually died. Once Gurjao’s body was examined, it was determined that he had 80 bags of cocaine in his system. Gurjao became extremely ill when one of the bags of cocaine leaked while it was inside of him. The cocaine was worth an estimated $60K on the streets.
Apparently, Gurjao found work as a drug mule and lived a double-life, according to family and friends who commented on his Facebook page. He had been married since 2014.
Drug mules have become essential to the South American drug trade. According to a report by US News, some drug mules make up to $8K per run, but some are paid as low as $100 for a criminal offense that could cause physical harm and lead to years in prison.
