Chicago rapper Juice Wrld suffered convulsions and went into cardiac arrest as police and federal agents were searching his and his entourage’s luggage for guns and drugs at a private hangar at Midway Airport over the weekend, according to law enforcement sources.
The rapper’s girlfriend, asked by police if he had any medical issues or had ingested any drugs, replied that he takes Percocet, a painkiller, and “has a drug problem,” the sources said.
The officers and agents had been waiting at the Atlantic Aviation hangar at Midway early Sunday because they suspected the private plane from Los Angeles carrying the musician — whose real name was Jarad Higgins — was carrying contraband, the sources said.
The search turned up 41 “vacuum-sealed” bags of marijuana, six bottles of prescription codeine cough syrup, two 9 mm pistols, a .40-caliber pistol, a high-capacity ammunition magazine and metal-piercing bullets, according to the sources. Two men identified by police as working security for Higgins were charged with misdemeanor offenses for illegally possessing the guns and ammunition.
The sudden death of the rising 21-year-old rapper led to an outpouring of grief, including from celebrity fans who remembered him as a kind and innovative young talent — “the fastest brain in the game,” singer Halsey wrote on Instagram.
“I would like to see all the younger talent live longer and I hate waking up hearing another story filled with blessings was cut short,” superstar rapper Drake posted on the social media platform.
Higgins rocketed to success last year when he signed a reported $3 million deal with Interscope after his 2017 EP “Juice Wrld 999” started racking up millions of streams on SoundCloud.
In a Chicago Tribune interview last year, Higgins said the instant fame had not caught up to him yet.
“I haven’t really felt like ‘Oh my god, what just happened?'” he said. “But I think it’s a good thing because when people get caught up, they can get lost — lost in the moment. That can ruin somebody.”
According to the law enforcement sources, Higgins “began convulsing (and) going into a seizure” as authorities were going through two carts of luggage about 2 a.m. Sunday at the private hangar at Midway. An agent administered two doses of Narcan, an emergency treatment when opioid overdose is suspected.
Higgins woke up but was incoherent. Paramedics took him to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he was pronounced dead at 3:14 a.m.
After an autopsy Monday, the Cook County medical examiner’s office said it needed to conduct further testing to determine the cause and manner of death, including toxicology studies of any narcotics in his system.
No drug charges have been filed. Sources said the marijuana and codeine were found in bags that had no name tags. They said the investigation was continuing.
It was not known why federal agents were waiting for the twin-engine Gulfstream jet, owned by a company in Longwood, Florida. Logs show the jet flew from Fort Pierce, Florida, to Van Nuys, California, on Saturday and then on to Midway, arriving there around 1:30 a.m.
Higgins was scheduled to play at the Rolling Loud Festival in Los Angeles this coming Saturday.
Chicago police said they were notified while the jet was still en route to Midway that federal agents suspected it was carrying “weapons and narcotics.” Plainclothes tactical and gang crime officers joined the agents at the hangar as the jet landed with 10 passengers — including Higgins and his girlfriend — along with two pilots and a flight attendant, police said.
A drug-sniffing dog made a “positive alert” for bags on two luggage carts, sources said. Searches uncovered the marijuana and codeine.
Henry Dean, who said he was working security, told police he was carrying two 9 mm pistols and a high-capacity magazine. A third gun, a .40-caliber pistol, was found in a camera case containing personal effects belonging to Christopher Long, but he denied the gun was his.
Later, Long was charged with unlawful possession of a firearm, a misdemeanor. Dean was also charged with a misdemeanor for carrying a concealed firearm at an airport and possessing a high-capacity magazine and metal-piercing bullets, police said. Dean had a permit to carry a gun in Illinois, but weapons are banned from airports.
The Cook County state’s attorney’s office rejected felony charges for the two because of insufficient evidence, according to an office spokeswoman, Tandra Simonton.
Prosecutors could not establish a sufficient chain of custody for the gun that was found in the luggage, Simonton said. The other weapons were being held by their owner, who has a valid firearm owner’s identification card and concealed carry license, she said.
Higgins was open about his struggles with drug use, in particular codeine. On Twitter in July he vowed to swear off the substance, telling his girlfriend, “You’ve put up with more than ppl know I know I be scaring you … Codeine I’m done.”
“Learn from this everyone,” he continued. “Addiction kills all but you can overcome.”
In an introspective interview with Vulture last year, the rapper said the more sober lifestyle had not affected his creative process.
“More recently, I’ve just kind of realized certain things about myself and my coming up, the way that substances played a part in my life, whether it was me doing them or other people,” he told the website. “It’s something that I’m trying to separate myself from.”
Among those responding to Higgins’ death was Chicago’s own Chance the Rapper.
“Millions of people, not just in Chicago but around the world are hurting because of this and don’t know what to make of it,” he posted on Instagram. “Love you and God bless your soul.”
rsobol@chicagotribune.com.com
mcrepeau@chicagotribune.com
