Fresh details have surfaced in an ongoing investigation into the 2022 death of a 23-year-old Nigerian law student.
Damilola Grace Olakanmi, who resided in Ilford, East London, endured multiple cardiac arrests and brain damage after ingesting a single marijuana gummy that turned out to be synthetic cannabis.
Her mother, Wumi, described the harrowing scene in a police statement revealed in court in late May — the kind of nightmare no parent should have to face. Wumi told authorities that a “loud noise” woke her during the night of March 29, 2022, and she hurried upstairs to find her daughter unconscious in her bedroom. By the time emergency services arrived, she was foaming at the mouth.
“I went upstairs to Grace’s room, and I saw her on the floor. She didn’t appear to be breathing,” the grieving mother recently told the court, according to the Mirror.
At the time, Olakanmi was hosting a 21-year-old student visiting from the U.S., and Wumi described finding the guest in a hysterical state, rolling around on the floor “shouting and screaming” beside her daughter. The unidentified guest had also consumed a synthetic marijuana gummy.
Wumi immediately contacted emergency services, and first responders attempted to revive her unconscious daughter before they rushed her to hospital, where she endured a series of cardiac arrests and brain damage. Olakanmi died later that week, on April 3, 2022. The cause? Synthetic cannabinoid toxicity, a Class B “designer drug” otherwise known as “spice.” An autopsy found two different synthetic cannabinoids in her system: oxobutan and carboxamide.
Olakanmi and her friend had procured the gummies through a mobile app from a person her friend described in a police statement as her “regular dealer.” The friend told police that they had taken one gummy each, and approximately 20 minutes later, they became deathly ill.
Investigators found two packages, one emblazoned with Trrlli Peachie O’s branding, black market weed meant to mimic the popular sweet-and-sour gummy rings, Trolli Peachie-O.
“In terms of edibles, I’m unaware she had taken them before. I did not know they contained cannabis,” her mom recently told the court.
“This is the utterly tragic case of a 23-year-old girl consuming synthetic cannabis and having a very serious reaction,” stated the coroner, Dr. Shirley Radcliffe, at the May inquest in East London.
She continued: “My conclusion is that the death is due to drug misuse. I convey my deepest condolences to the family.”
Investigators pulled Olakanmi’s cellphone records and discovered communications between her and the drug dealer on a messaging app. On the day she consumed the gummies, she messaged the dealer asking: “Can I have two packs of 600mg gummies for tonight please. And are they really strong?” The dealer replied yes to both questions.
Police then obtained surveillance footage showing an exchange between Olakanmi and someone inside a car near her home on the night of the incident. Fortunately, the license plate on the vehicle was visible, and police tracked down the dealer, who reportedly possessed a large quantity of cash and what were believed to be edible cannabis products.
Leon Brown, 37, of South Norwood, was arrested shortly after the incident and charged with possession with intent to supply Class B synthetic cannabinoid, being concerned in the supply of a synthetic cannabinoid, and possession with intent to supply a psychoactive substance.
At the time of her death in 2022, a relative identified only as Dunni described Olakanmi in news reports as “a sweet, quiet girl — a bit of an introvert. Her mother looked up to her. She was very kind and loved looking after children and wanted to please everyone. The family will never come to terms with this.”
