Ensnared in the illegal drug trade of West Norfolk

A man with a good job who is hopelessly addicted to prescription drugs, a dark web connoisseur who chooses from a menu of Valium, painkillers and porn and a woman who is still fighting to rid herself of a dependence to the painkillers she needs.

These are the people living in the West Norfolk area whose lives are embroiled in the worrying and rapidly-growing prescription drugs trade.

Images of homeless people purchasing street heroin is a far cry from an underground industry that has moved from back alleys to the internet.

The prescription drug industry has had the spotlight on it throughout the years as pharmacy giants like Purdue Pharma ran unchecked through contemporary America, encouraging medical professionals to hand out powerful opioids such as Percocet (OxyContin) like they were selling tupperware.

Now the UK faces it's own epidemic, born of the misconception that a lot of prescription drugs are "safer" than their illegal cousins.

Jay* sells prescription drugs in Lynn. His journey started after he had nerve surgery following a severe head injury and he was prescribed benzodiazepines(valium and lorazepam) and strong painkillers pregabalin and oramorph(liquid morphine).