{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,8]],"date-time":"2026-10-08T06:55:16Z","timestamp":1791442516095,"version":"4.3.3"},"reference-count":12,"publisher":"SAGE Publications","issue":"3","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,11]],"date-time":"2026-07-11T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1783728000000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/page\/policies\/text-and-data-mining-license"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["journals.sagepub.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Med Leg J"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,9]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>Concealing drugs inside the body to transport them covertly, known as \u2018body packing\u2019, can be fatal. Intestinal occlusion and poisoning are common; fatal gastric perforation is unusual. We present a rare case involving a 54-year-old female \u2018drug mule\u2019 (body packer) who died from peritonitis resulting from gastric perforation. The deceased (from Sweden) was discovered dead in her hotel room. A forensic autopsy revealed diffuse peritonitis due to a 2\u2009cm hole in the superior part of the gastric lesser curvature. There were 70 rigid plastic capsules, about 6\u2009cm long and weighing between 3 and 4\u2009g each, inside the stomach, intestines and in the subphrenic space. This case serves as a stark reminder of a rare but serious complication associated with body packing; the volume of the capsules may have exerted enough strain to cause stomach wall ischaemia and rupture. Drug mules are more commonly young men who present with acute signs of poisoning, so the type and site of complication, the victim\u2019s sex and relatively older age make this report stand out as unusual. In conclusion, we need to recognise that gastric perforation poses a serious, life-threatening danger in cases of body packing, particularly if a \u2018mule\u2019 swallows large, stiff packets and it is crucial that forensic pathologists and doctors keep this possibility in mind and involve multiple disciplines when dealing with these very high-risk situations. Interdisciplinary policies should be created to manage the care of body packers and to prevent a recurrence.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1177\/00258172261443898","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,11]],"date-time":"2026-07-11T07:31:13Z","timestamp":1783755073000},"page":"200-203","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/sage-journals-update-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Death of a female \u2018drug mule\u2019 from peritonitis: A case report and literature review"],"prefix":"10.1177","volume":"94","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0005-6846-894X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"A","family":"Essadi","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Forensic and Legal Medicine, Tangier\u2019s University Hospital, Tangier, Morocco"},{"name":"Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Abdelmalek Essaadi University, Tangier, Morocco"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"E","family":"Numbi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Forensic and Legal Medicine, Tangier\u2019s University Hospital, Tangier, Morocco"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"B","family":"Zarhouni","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Forensic and Legal Medicine, Tangier\u2019s University Hospital, Tangier, Morocco"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0006-7428-2102","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"M","family":"Ouali","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Forensic and Legal Medicine, Tangier\u2019s University Hospital, Tangier, Morocco"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0001-0481-6811","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"R","family":"Benyousef","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Forensic and Legal Medicine, Tangier\u2019s University Hospital, Tangier, Morocco"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0004-4164-0132","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"J","family":"Aarab","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Forensic and Legal Medicine, Tangier\u2019s University Hospital, Tangier, Morocco"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"S","family":"Nya","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Forensic and Legal Medicine, Tangier\u2019s University Hospital, Tangier, Morocco"},{"name":"Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Abdelmalek Essaadi University, Tangier, Morocco"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"179","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,11]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_3_2_2_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jflm.2020.102033"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_3_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1056\/NEJMra022719"},{"issue":"5","key":"e_1_3_2_4_2","first-page":"417","article-title":"Clinical management of cocaine body packers: the Hillingdon experience","volume":"52","author":"Beckley I","year":"2009","unstructured":"Beckley I, Ansari NAA, Khwaja HA, et al. Clinical management of cocaine body packers: the Hillingdon experience. Can J Surg 2009; 52(5): 417\u2013421.","journal-title":"Can J Surg"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_5_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.forsciint.2004.07.005"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_6_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.annfar.2003.12.017"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_7_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1520\/JFS15469J"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_8_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1054\/jcfm.2002.0558"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_9_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/1556-4029.15417"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_10_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s00068-014-0388-5"},{"issue":"4","key":"e_1_3_2_11_2","first-page":"218","article-title":"Death from body packer syndrome: case report","volume":"81","author":"Olumbe AKO","year":"2004","unstructured":"Olumbe AKO, Kalebi AY. Death from body packer syndrome: case report. 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