Banned drug found in the vape of the boy who died after falling from 7th floor of a block of flats in Pleven

The vape of the boy who died in Pleven contains hexahydrocannabinol, according to the preliminary data of the complex physicochemical examinationm Vladimir Nikolov, District Prosecutor of Pleven, said at a briefing today, January 2.

The boy died in Pleven after falling from the 7th floor, and the prosecutor's office is investigating the vape that he had used.

"Hexahydrocannabinol is a cannabinoid found in narcotic hemp or marijuana," the prosecutor explained.

According to him, the substance in question is a high-risk narcotic, the possession of which is prohibited under Bulgarian law.

"Clearly, we have work ahead of us, and we will make every effort to quickly and objectively clarify all circumstances of the case," Nikolov said.

He added that a forensic medical examination has been apponited, and a toxicological examination will also be conducted to make it clear how this substance affected the boy's mental and physical state.

"We have contacted the Consumer Protection Commission, which is responsible for controlling the distribution of vapes," Nikolov informed.

He added that checks would be carried out to determine if such vapes are available in the commercial network.

The district prosecutor of Pleven reminded that yesterday, shortly before 7:00 PM, a group of young people born in 2010, aged 14, gathered in a high-rise residential building in Pleven. The group consisted of six children — three boys and three girls. They went up in the building between the 16th floor and the attic rooms and settled in the stairwell area before the attic rooms. The children, who were friends from three schools in Pleven, used a vape, with everyone trying a small amount. However, according to witnesses, the deceased boy consumed a slightly larger amount from the electronic cigarette, Nikolov said. As a result, the boy's behaviour became visibly more nervous and neurotic.

The boy became restless and started walking down the staircase towards the first floor of the building. On the way, he was accompanied by one of the girls and said that something was happening to him, even expressing the need for medical assistance. When they reached the seventh floor, where a window was open, the boy approached it, and subsequently, he fell from a height of seven floors. The fall was softened by a tree, but the boy fell in front of the building, the prosecutor told the chronology of events.

The children called 112, and an emergency medical team responded. The child was placed in the ambulance but died on the way to the hospital as a result of the severe injuries from the fall, the district prosecutor added.