Aaron Berry: Oakleigh meth muncher nearly chokes on ice

An ambulance had to be called to help a jaw-grinding Oakleigh junkie who thought he could outsmart police by swallowing his stash.

Generic image: A druggie nearly choked after trying to hide his stash in his mouth.

A nervous druggie nabbed by cops trying to hide a bag of ice in his mouth nearly came a cropper when he began to gag, a court has heard.

Aaron Berry had to be saved by paramedics after dry-retching and struggling to breathe following his silly swallowing stunt.

Berry, who has a 24-page rap sheet, also had GHB concealed in an energy drink bottle, but cops were wise to that trick and realised immediately what the liquid was.

As well as possessing drugs the long-term lag also admitted repeatedly damaging property belonging to his exes.

The unemployed Oakleigh 28-year-old pleaded guilty to drug possessions, criminal damage and court order breaches at the Dandenong Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday.

The court heard Berry and a mate were seen acting suspiciously on a footpath in Clayton South in June last year.

When police turned up the pair seemed nervous, anxious and erratic.

Cops decided to search Berry, who told them he was “Aaron Ramanauskas”.

He was not believed, especially when an envelope with his proper name and address was located in his back pocket.

In his front pocket there was a small energy drink bottle, with a liquid inside that was far too thick to be a normal beverage.

Officers worked out it was GHB and continued to search Berry, who began to behave extremely strangely, grinding his teeth and stretching his jaw.

He started dry-retching and coughing, gasping for air while officers held him up.

An ambulance was called and he threw up a small bag of ice.

He admitted the liquid in the bottle was “juice”, or GHB, and said he had swallowed the ice because he was “scared”.

Berry also admitted punching holes in house walls, busting door hinges and throwing a hammer through a window in a series of arguments with two former partners.

Defence lawyer Jason James said his client had been the victim of a violent assault in 2009, which left him in a coma and suffering an acquired brain injury.

He said since then he has been a drug user, smoking two points of ice daily as well as having GHB occasionally.

He said upon release he “wants to quit (drugs)”, and would move to live with his mother in Morwell and take up mechanical work.

“He doesn’t want to reoffend, he doesn’t want to be incarcerated again,” Mr James said.

Magistrate Andrew Halse said Berry needed to work on his drug issues, otherwise he would be back in court again and again.

“You must comply with the law,” Mr Halse said.

“Or you will be in and out of custody into the future.”

Berry was jailed for 60 days minus 56 days he has already served, to be followed by a 12-month drug and alcohol community corrections order.