BENTON HARBOR (WWJ) - Police are investigating the sudden death of a 48-year-old man who became sick and went into cardiac arrest hours after he was arrested on drug charges in Southwest Michigan.
Southwest Michigan Enforcement Team (SWET) said the man, a Benton Harbor native, was taken into police custody on Friday morning and was lodged at the Berrien County Jail when he began to vomit.
He was taken to St. Joseph Hospital for treatment, but went into cardiac arrest and died.
SWET said they are looking into whether the man ingested "a quantity of harmful substance" before his arrest on the same day.
According to authorities, the suspect was taken into custody for dealing methamphetamine to an undercover police officer on Highland Ave. in Benton Township.
The undercover officer expecting a larger quantity of drugs during the purchase than what was offered and after the arrest, police questioned the man about where the other suspected drugs were stored.
The man became uncooperative and police did not find any meth on him during their search.
SWET, which was in charge of the operation, is a multijurisdictional narcotics team that works in the Southwest portion of Michigan. Law enforcement agencies involved with the team include several sheriff's departments from Barry County, Calhoun County and Kalamazoo County, as well as officers from Kalamazoo Township Police Department, Marshall City Police Department, Portage Police Department, South Haven Police Department and troopers with the Michigan State Police.
The suspect's death is being investigated by the Michigan State Police's Sixth District Incident Response Team.