NO further action will be taken against five people arrested in connection with the death of a man who drank a cocaine-laced pear drink.

Joromie Lewis became ill immediately after unwittingly swigging a Cole Cold Pear-D juice bottle contaminated with a lethal amount of the drug.

The 33-year-old, of Kings Road, Gosport, died on December 5 last year, just hours after he consumed a small amount of the beverage while working at his employer’s lock-up garage in the Bitterne area of Southampton.

His death led to the arrest of five people on the charge of being concerned in the supply of a Class A drug.

However police have confirmed no further action will be taken against them after they answered bail.

Police investigations led to the arrest of a 33-year-old London man. They also arrested two men, aged 37 and 38, and a 37-year-old woman, all from Southampton, and a 39-year-old London man.

His death prompted a nationwide appeal to traders from the Food Standards Agency to withdraw Pear-D if found on their shelves.

Mr Lewis’s wife Jayrusha paid tribute to her husband, who was a member of the Bridgemary family church, and described him as a “devoted family-oriented man with a selfless attitude to help others”.

He joined the church more than three years ago, shortly after the birth of his daughter.

Mr Lewis was originally from the island of St Vincent in the Caribbean and served in the Royal Navy.

Last night police were unable to confirm if the investigation into his death is continuing.