Addict who overdosed multiple times had ketamine worth thousands of pounds

A prolific drug user was found unconscious multiple times by police with a large quantity of ketamine.Dominic Johnson, 49, of Dukes Place in Fairstead, has been using the Class B drug for 17 years, according to his solicitor.This led him to Lynn Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, where he admitted five counts of having a Class B drug in his possession.

On August 28 last year, Johnson was admitted to Lynn’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital.When a nurse came to check on him, Johnson had some white powder around his nose. When looking for Johnson’s identification, the nurse came across a bag of ketamine.The police arrived, and he admitted being addicted to the Class B drug. On December 17, police visited Johnson’s address for separate matters. They found him unconscious with white powder around his nose and mouth.After administering first aid on him, officers found a total of 71.6g of ketamine at his property. On March 14, police visited his home again, finding that Johnson have overdosed on the same drug.A bag of white ketamine crystals, weighing 42.54g, was also found. It had the street value of around £1,320.On April 9, police found Johnson had overdosed on ketamine again. He had another large amount of the drug on him, as well as a quantity of cannabis. In mitigation, Ruth Johnson told the court that the defendant has had a longstanding addiction to ketamine.“He remembers the first time he was introduced to the drug 17 years ago. It was something of a downward spiral for him,” Ms Johnson said.The solicitor explained that despite the large quantity of drugs found, Johnson was not dealing them.“It was for his personal use because he has a significant habit,” Ms Johnson added. The court heard that Johnson suffers from significant mental health problems.“I am pleased to be able to report significant improvements have been made recently,” the solicitor added.“He now has an address. He was living in homeless pods as well.”Johnson has been receiving help from a charity and has been reducing the amount of ketamine he has been taking. “He cannot reduce his drug use to nothing yet. It will take a long time,” Ms Johnson added.Johnson was fined £120 and was ordered to pay a £48 victim surcharge and £45 in court costs.