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Music fans across the world mourned the abrupt and shocking death of 21-year-old rapper Juice WRLD this week, after the Chicago-born artist suffered seizures and passed away in his hometown on Sunday. As the details of the untimely death continue to surface, it’s been revealed that police were searching his private plane for drugs when he fell ill.
According to the New York Times, Juice WRLD, whose given name is Jarad Higgins, suffered a seizure and died shortly after arriving at Chicago’s Midway airport on a private jet that had departed California’s Van Nuys airport earlier that day.
But before Higgins suffered the medical emergency and was rushed to a nearby hospital, local law enforcement officers had been waiting for the plane as part of an illegal cannabis distribution investigation. As soon as the plane landed, police officers boarded the jet and found 70 pounds of vacuum-sealed weed hidden in unlabeled suitcases, six bottles of codeine cough syrup, and two firearms alongside corresponding ammunition.
Police said that they had been tipped off about the contraband on board the plane before it took off from Los Angeles, and that Higgins began convulsing and struggling to breathe during the plane search and subsequent interview process.
Cops said that the passengers on the private plane have been cooperative during interrogations, but despite discovering a jet-load of bud, Chicago cops have not yet charged anyone on the flight with a cannabis-related crime. Two men identified as Higgins’ bodyguards have been charged with misdemeanor counts of possession of illegal firearms and ammunition.
Authorities have not yet determined the cause of death in Juice WRLD’s unfortunate passing.
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