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CONFIRMED FATALITYCAUSALITY: ESTABLISHED

Westville, Durban, South Africa

November 7, 2017

Milos Martinovic, a 26-year-old Canadian citizen being treated for opioid and benzodiazepine addiction, died of cardiac arrest after being given multiple doses of ibogaine at the unregistered Minds Alive Wellness Centre in Westville, Durban, run by dentist Anwar Mohamed Jeewa. Jeewa was convicted of culpable homicide and sentenced to three years of correctional supervision.

Martinovic contacted Jeewa, whom he believed to be a medical doctor, after finding the Minds Alive Wellness Centre online. An enrolled nurse working under Jeewa's instruction administered three to four separate doses of ibogaine; Martinovic went into cardiac arrest after the last dose and died. Jeewa was originally charged with murder along with charges of unlawfully selling, compounding, manufacturing and exporting a Schedule 6 substance and operating an unregistered treatment centre; the court convicted him of the lesser charge of culpable homicide.

Investigation & Causality

Substance Reported
Ibogaine (capsules)
Exposure Context
Medical clinic
Official Manner / Classification
Culpable homicide, per Durban High Court verdict
Ibogaine Causality
Established
Investigation Authority
Durban High Court
Investigation Outcome
Dentist Anwar Mohamed Jeewa, who ran the unregistered Minds Alive Wellness Centre, was charged with murder and several Schedule 6 substance offenses, and was ultimately convicted of culpable homicide. He was sentenced on 18 September 2024 to 3 years of correctional supervision (not direct imprisonment).

Case Details

Location
Westville, Durban, South Africa
Name
Milos Martinovic
Age
26
Sex
Male
Nationality
Canadian (also French citizenship reported)
Cause of Death (as first reported)
Cardiac arrest following administration of multiple ibogaine doses

Sources

Court recordAug 23, 2024
Durban dentist found guilty of culpable homicide following death of Canadian citizen at his rehab centre
IOL

“Anwar Mohamed Jeewa, 64, was convicted in the Durban High Court on Thursday. The victim Milos Martinovic had died in November 2017 while an in-patient at the Minds Alive Wellness Centre.”

Court recordSep 18, 2024
Dentist to fix prisoners' teeth as punishment for patient's negligent death
MedicalBrief

“Durban dentist Anwar Mohamed Jeewa, convicted of culpable homicide for the death of Canadian Milos Martinovic, has narrowly escaped imprisonment. Instead, he was sentenced to three years' correctional supervision.”

News reportAug 23, 2024
Durban dentist convicted for patient's death during unlicensed addiction treatment
The Citizen

“The victim in the case, Milos Martinovic, was a Canadian and French citizen who was addicted to Oxycontin and Xanax.”