A British teacher collapsed and died after swallowing a bag containing cocaine in a First Class lounge while waiting to fly home from Manchester to Dubai.
Mother-of-three Victoria Buchanan, 42, was drinking a glass of champagne after checking in her luggage when she realised she still had the bag containing £60 worth of cocaine on her.
Mrs Buchanan had earlier bought £300 worth of the Class A drug during a family visit to the UK with her husband Mark, a shipping company boss.
She had £60 worth of cocaine left when she decided to swallow it in the hope of getting it back to Dubai - and moments later she collapsed with a severe seizure when the bag split in her stomach, an inquest heard.
Mrs Buchanan (pictured) had earlier bought £300 worth of the Class A drug during a family visit to the UK
Expat Victoria Buchanan, 42, (left; and right, with her husband Mark) ingested the resealable bag after she realised it was still in her possession while drinking a glass of champagne after she checked in with her luggage.
The lounge in Manchester Airport where Mrs Buchanan collapsed after swallowing the cocaine
Onlookers at Manchester Airport initially believed Mrs Buchanan was having an anaphylactic shock and administered an EpiPen she had in her handbag for a palm oil allergy but died later at Wythenshawe Hospital.
The bag of cocaine was discovered during a post-mortem. Her elderly parents knew nothing of her drug taking.
Recording a verdict of death by misadventure, Assistant Coroner Andrew Bridge said: 'I have no understanding of why Victoria would wish to have smuggled cocaine or why she would take the risks of doing so my conclusion of how she came by her death is one of misadventure.
'I give you my sympathies for the sad loss of your wife and your daughter - my question is what on earth was she thinking?'
Mrs Buchanan, originally from Kilmarnock, Scotland, had moved to Dubai in 2010 and worked as a teacher in the United Arab Emirates. She was known for helping impoverished children in Nepal through a charity set up to improve their education.
An inquest heard the
