A FOURTH person has died of a overdose, Essex Police have said, as Colchester’s drug crisis deepened.

Ambulances attended Colchester city centre shortly before 7am on Thursday after a man was taken ill.

Police then arrived at the scene, where the individual was sadly pronounced dead.

The latest fatality has risen the drugs death toll to four after three people died in a four-day period in Colchester last week.

Gazette: Court – five people have been charged and appeared before magistrates in ChelmsfordCourt – five people have been charged and appeared before magistrates in Chelmsford (Image: Daniel Rees, Newsquest)

The death has come as another shock and police have now arrested seven people as part of a major drugs investigation.

Thursday’s incident prompted two of those arrests, with Essex Police executing search warrants at two addresses in London.

A 30-year-old man from Bromley was arrested on suspicion of being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs and has now been named as George Morrison.

At Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court on Friday, Morrison, of Croydon Road in Bromley, was charged with two counts of being concerned in the supply of class A drugs.

A second man, who is 18, was named by police as Joshua Walker.

The teenager, of Hamilton Road in Newham, also faced two counts of being concerned in the supply of class A drugs.

The cases will be heard before a crown court at a later date.

Morrison and Walker join three other individuals who have been arrested in the past week on suspicion of drug dealing offences.

Appearing before Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court last Wednesday, Sabrino Hajderaj did not enter a plea to two charges of possession with intent to supply a controlled class A drug.

Hajderaj, of Sunny Bank in Croydon, indicated a guilty plea to a third charge of possessing a blade in a public place.

Gazette: Crisis – four people have now died of drug overdoses since in recent weeksCrisis – four people have now died of drug overdoses since in recent weeks (Image: Newsquest)

The following day, Bryan Tegunde appeared before the same court charged with being concerned in the supply of heroin and concerned in the supply of crack cocaine.

The 19-year-old, of Cambridge Park Road, Redbridge, will appear before Ipswich Crown Court next month.

Pharrell Douglas, of Court Farm Road, Bromley, was charged on Wednesday of being concerned in the supply of crack cocaine, being concerned in the supply of heroin, possession of cannabis, and acquiring criminal property.

Two further arrests have been made, although charges have yet to be made.