FIVE people have been arrested in connection with the death of a Cwmbran man from a cocktail of alcohol, heroin, valium and opiates.

Thirty-year-old Rodney Edward Jones - who was nicknamed 'Bod' - was found dead in the doorway of Oakfield Court Farm Community Centre in Hogarth Close on Tuesday, September 26 last year.

A known alcoholic, he was four times over the drink-drive limit at the time of his death and had traces of drugs in his system.

An initial seven-and-a-half-hour post mortem examination failed to determine the cause of death, but a preliminary toxicology test showed the presence of the drugs and a single needlemark on his body.

Home Office pathologist Stephen Leadbetter yesterday released the results of a second, fuller toxicology test, which concluded that the cause of death was due to heroin. Detectives from Cwmbran police station arrested two women, aged 45 and 28, and three men, aged 19, 29 and 32, in relation to Bod's death.

One of the women and two of the men were arrested on suspicion of murder, while the remaining man and woman were arrested accused of perverting the course of justice. Three of the suspects had previously been arrested at the start of the investigation, but released without charge.

Temporary Detective Superintendent Alan Coates told the Argus they were also hunting a fourth man on suspicion of murder and that other arrests may follow in the near future. All those arrested are from the Cwmbran area. The sixth person is believed to be in Newport.

Det Supt Coates said: "It is early days at this stage of the investigation. It has been a very protracted and detailed investigation which has taken a lot of time and work by the pathologist, but we are now at the stage where we have a definitive cause of death and there are people that need to be asked specific questions. Heroin was pinpointed as the cause of death, but it is difficult to say whether or not it was an overdose.

There were no traces of previous abuse of heroin or opiates. The pathologist said alcohol will not normally kill a chronic alcoholic, but if you give them heroin, when previously they are naive of heroin, it pushes them over the edge."

* ANYONE with informationis asked to contact Sergeant Jim Loughlin on 01633 838999.