Francis Thackeray, in his 2025 article, suggests Sir Francis Drake could have acquired it when sailing in the area. Since traces of it were also discovered in 1600s Milan its possible that the spanish were circulating it. This 2024 study discusses how the Spanish at least knew of it as early as 1499.

Contamination may actually be a concern here since AFAIK no independent analysis of the clay pipe fragments or the bones has been done yet, but it'd have to be 2 coked up pothead lab techs since the clay pipe fragments were tested in a police narcotics lab in South Africa while the bones were tested at the excavation site in Milan.