Auckland man Jordan Mitchell Bronson Tepania, 34, flew into Queenstown on July 18 last year.
A week later, he was found unresponsive by a cleaner at a Dunedin motel.
Coroner Amelia Steel ruled Mr Tepania died as a result of an overdose - acute cocaine toxicity.
Last month, Justice Rob Osborne granted a police application to restrain the $33,127 cash found in Mr Tepania’s vehicle, ruling there was reasonable grounds to believe it was ‘‘tainted property’’.
He told the High Court at Dunedin he was satisfied the man had been dealing in class A and B drugs at the time.
A coronial report was also released to the Otago Daily Times which set out the circumstances of Mr Tepania’s death.
He arrived in Dunedin on July 24 and booked in for two nights.
Mr Tepania’s partner told the coroner she had a video chat with him late the following night while he was drinking in a pub.
The coroner said it was likely the man died later that evening or early the following day.
Police at the scene found white powder, later confirmed to be cocaine, on Mr Tepania’s clothing and hand.
There were multiple SnapLock bags containing the class A drug in the room, along with 20 empty pre-mixed vodka cans and two cellphones.
Officers also searched Mr Tepania’s vehicle in the carpark and found the cash in a cooler bag as well as more pre-packaged illicit substances.
Pathologist Dr Noelyn Hung found a blood alcohol level of 87 - nearly twice the limit for drink-driving - and the cocaine level was too high to determine accurately.
‘‘[The report writer] further stated that these levels are associated with cocaine-related deaths,’’ the coroner noted.
Other significant conditions that contributed to Mr Tepania’s death were found to be alcohol intoxication, coronary artery disease, obesity and fatty liver disease.
A review of Mr Tepania’s bank accounts showed his income for the financial year ending March 2025 was only $27,000.
His mother and partner were informed of the cash found in the vehicle but neither wanted to take part in the asset-restraint proceedings sparked by the Commissioner of Police.
The money would remain under the control of the Official Assignee until further order of the court.
