DeLAND, Florida. – A man arrested outside a DeLand drug house on Wednesday later died after hiding several plastic bags of drugs in his mouth, according to the Volusia Sheriff’s Office.

Officials said detectives executed a search warrant on South Clara Avenue around 10:30 a.m. after conducting an undercover investigation into drug sales from the home.

Five people, including 54-year-old Cornell McKinney, were arrested and taken outside, but McKinney did not respond verbally to detectives’ statements, according to the sheriff’s office.

Investigators suspected McKinney may have been trying to hide or swallow narcotics and asked him several times to open his mouth and spit out what he was chewing, officials said.

According to the sheriff’s office, McKinney refused, so detectives called for medical help.

McKinney was unresponsive at the time and DeLand Fire Department began life-saving measures, officials said.

According to authorities, rescue workers found three plastic bags in McKinney’s mouth and throat, two of which suspected to contain heroin, fentanyl and crack cocaine.

McKinney was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead, officials said.

DeLand misdemeanor officers have posted signs on the house warning that it is unsafe.

McKinney’s official cause of death is pending completion of the medical examiner’s autopsy.