A toxic cocktail of drugs mistakenly used as cocaine led to the sudden death of a “fit and well” young woman, an inquest has heard.

Sasha Jones, 28, was found dead inside a first floor flat in Fleetwood Way, South Oxhey, after enjoying drinks and using what she thought was cocaine.

However, toxicology reports found no cocaine in her body. Instead, traces of an amphetamine known as speed and a drug more commonly used as an anaesthetic by doctors and dentists, called lidocaine, were found in her body.

The inquest, held today (Thursday) at Hatfield Coroners' Court, heard that Sasha was popular, was part of a close family and had a lot of friends.

A statement from her GP revealed she received medication to treat anxiety and depression but also that she would drink alcohol and use cocaine “infrequently”.

On June 9 this year, the day before Sasha's body was found, she was “very happy” as she had recently moved back to the family home in Maylands Road, her mother Susan told the inquest.

Sasha went to babysit for a friend that day and after briefly visiting her at the flat in Fleetwood Way, Susan asked Sasha to be home by 10pm, the inquest heard.

Then at 3pm, Susan was told Sasha had been bought three bottles of Smirnoff Ice and would have a “couple of drinks” that evening.

Susan said: “When I phoned her back at 7.45pm, Sasha said 'I'm going to be honest with you. I'm buying a bit of coke because I've had a drink.' We had a few words.

“At 10pm I said it was getting late, shall I come and pick you up? She said she wasn't going to come back because she was having a sniff and it upsets me.

“At 10.30pm I phoned to see if everything was alright. She sounded fine and was watching Big Brother. She was just her normal self. That was the last time I heard from her.”

Paramedics and police officers were called to the flat following reports of a female in cardiac arrest at 11.27am the next day, on June 10.

There they found Sasha lying on the floor with cushions and a blanket.

Michael Ling, the principle Scenes of Crime Officer for West Hertfordshire, also attended the scene.

He told the inquest he found three empty bottles of Smirnoff Ice and an empty one litre bottle of cider in the kitchen bin and Nittol tablets in the living room, but he did not consider anything to be “suspicious”.

There was also a small plastic bag found in the kitchen that contained residue from a white powder, he said.

Mr Ling said: “Sasha was lying on the floor. It appeared she had been sleeping.

“There was no sign of a struggle in the room. Sasha looked quite peaceful as she lay there. There were no signs of disturbance.”

Pathologist Dr Matilda Fajimni, who conducted a post mortem, told the inquest that Sasha's body showed no signs of a struggle, no bruising and a “completely normal heart”, meaning she did not suffer cardiac arrest.

However, the toxicology report found no cocaine in Sasha's system and instead highlighted traces of lidocaine and speed.

Dr Fajimni added that taking lidocaine could cause the heart to stop without prompting a heart attack.

She said: “The glaring abnormality is the presence of lidocaine. That should not be present in anybody's system ordinarily. It's used within a hospital or dental setting. It's an anaesthetic.

“Sasha's case was highly unusual. I have never come across a case like this with lidocaine being the drug in question.

“I was very surprised by it. It's highly unlikely she knew what it was. I'm pretty confident she did not know what she was taking.”

Dr Frances Cranfield, assistant deputy coroner for Hertfordshire, adjourned the conclusion of the inquest until a “key witness” who spent the night of June 9 with Sasha but did not attend today's hearing could give evidence.