Billionaire Tetra Pak heir arrested after wife's sudden death

Hans Kristian Rausing, the billionaire heir to the Tetra Pak packaging dynasty has been arrested after his wife's body was found at their home in...

10:41 12 July 2012

Hans Kristian Rausing, the billionaire heir to the Tetra Pak packaging dynasty has been arrested after his wife's body was found at their home in London. 

 

The Metropolitan police confirmed a body (of which numerous reports suggest was his wife Eva) had been discovered at an address in Cadogan Place, Belgravia, famed for being one of the most exclusive streets in West London.

 

As yet, the death is being treated as "unexplained". 

 

The couple had previously been in the news after the property was searched in conjunction with an arrest for suspicion of possessing drugs. 

 

Rausing's Swedish grandfather Ruben Rausing invented the Tetra Laval milk carton in the 1960s and his patent has since been applied worldwide. The design allowed milk to be kept fresh without refrigeration. 

 

The troubled couple have four teenage children which they have struggled to support in the wake of their alleged addiction to narcotics. In 2008, a substantial quantity of heroin and £2,000 worth of cocaine was found at their home. The discovery nearly cost them jail time. 

 

In a statement following her arrest in 2008, she said: "I have made a serious mistake which I very much regret," she said. "I intend to leave as soon as possible to seek the help that I very much need. I have made a grave error and I consider myself to have taken a wrong turn in the course of my life. I am very sorry for the upset I have caused. I thank my family and friends for their kindness and understanding."

 

The couple went on to support numerous anti-drugs charities while battling their own addictions. 

 

Eva Rausing's parents paid tribute to their daughter saying: "Eva was a devoted wife for 20 years. During her short lifetime she made a huge philanthropic impact, supporting a large number of charitable causes, not only financially, but using her own personal experiences.

 

"She bravely fought her health issues for many years. The family is devastated at her death and asks to be given privacy at this difficult time."