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AN inquest has heard that a Dungannon man died as a result of the toxic effects of multiple drugs, including cocaine, Protonitazene, Remimazolam and Citalopram.
Michael John ‘Micky’ Maguire died on December 3, 2024, aged 49.
He was found unresponsive by his sister, Denise, at her home just hours after the pair had gone for breakfast together.
Opening the inquest at Armagh Courthouse, Coroner Joe McCrisken said efforts by Ms Maguire and police officers to resuscitate him were unsuccessful, and he was pronounced dead when paramedics arrived at the scene.
A post-mortem examination was carried out by forensic pathologist Dr Peter Ingram, who told the court that while there was some narrowing of Mr Maguire’s coronary arteries, this was not the cause of death.
Dr Ingram said Mr Maguire’s lungs were ‘heavy and fluid-laden’, a finding commonly associated with opioid-related deaths.
Police attending the scene found no obvious signs of drug use.
However, Coroner McCrisken said there was a high degree of suspicion that the cocaine consumed by Mr Maguire had been cut with Protonitazene, a highly potent synthetic opioid that has recently emerged on illicit drug markets.
Giving evidence, Ms Maguire described herself and her brother as ‘night owls’ and said they had been unable to sleep the night before his death.
“We went for breakfast together at around 6am,” she said. “Afterwards, he came back to my house and went to sleep.
“I went to check on him at around 4pm and he was dead.”
Delivering his findings, Coroner McCrisken said the cause of death was due to the toxic effects of drugs, with Protonitazene identified as the primary factor.
He said the drug would have affected Mr Maguire’s nervous system and impaired his ability to breathe. Cocaine was also present, indicating recent use and carrying a risk of fatal cardiac arrhythmia. More than three times the therapeutic level of the antidepressant Citalopram was also found in his system.
The coroner concluded that Mr Maguire’s death was accidental.
