A JOHNSTONE pill maker was left so high after having just one sniff of deadly fake Valium that he was found slumped at the wheel of his £70,000 car.

Eric Reid was unable to drive his blue BMW M5 saloon after breathing in fumes from Etizolam – which is 200 times STRONGER than cocaine – and was left so off-his-face witnesses thought he was dead.

Reid, 44, came into contact with the high-strength substance at a drug factory where he helped prepare it to be sold on.

A short time later he was found unconscious at the wheel with the engine running, and was rushed to hospital.

He was left so affected by the drug that he was still under the influence from the single sniff more the 12 hours later.

Reid, who runs Reid’s Garage in Paisley’s Underwood Road and lives in Blackwood Terrace, Johnstone, is listed on a Government website as being a “Motor Mechanic and Vitamin Supplement Producer.”

And he told the Good Samaritans who rushed to his aid, and then medics who treated him, that he was unable to drive because he had been exposed to Etizolam on an “industrial scale”.

Etizolam, which is now illegal under the Psychoactive Substances Act 2016, is similar to Valium and was legal at the time of the incident.

He had been charged with driving his car while unfit to do so through drink or drugs on the day in question, March 30, 2016.

But he struck a deal with prosecutors to plead guilty to the reduced charge of being in charge of a vehicle while unfit to do so through drink or drugs, contrary to Section 4(2) of the Road Traffic Act 1988.

Sentence was deferred for an Exceptional Hardship hearing to take place as Reid sought to keep his licence, and he returned to the dock at Paisley Sheriff Court on Monday to learn his fate.

Procurator Fiscal Depute Maureen McGovern said witnesses saw “a blue BMW” sitting in Albion Street in Paisley at about 5.50pm.

The prosecutor explained: “Out of concern the witnesses made their way to the car and attempted to converse with him – he appeared to be unconscious and, in fact, one of the witnesses thought he was dead.”

They turned the engine off, took Reid’s seat belt off and phoned an ambulance.

Advocate Tony Lenehan said Reid, a father-of-five, earns around £40,000-per-year as an HGV mechanic, MoT tester and manager at the garage his dad started in the town in 1982.

And he said Reid was now the only worker at the garage who could do HGV tests, following the unexpected death of his father in February this year.

And he said losing his driving licence would cost the business £250,000 and jeopardise the jobs of all seven employees.

The Defence Advocate explained: “He was involved in the preparation for sale of Etizolam.

He added: “At the end of his working day in the garage he had gone round.He wandered about to see what had been achieved during the day. He opened a bag of it in powdered form. He smelled it. He has a recollection to the point of getting to the car but, beyond that, he has no recollection.”

But Sheriff Craig Harris ruled he had to ban Reid from driving for the offence due to his knowledge of Etizolam.

As he fined him £675, reduced from £750 as he admitted his guilt, and banned him from driving for eight months, Sheriff Harris said: “You were involved in the manufacture of a substance described as a legal high. You knew something about this drug as you were involved in the processing of it.

“You knew you had inhaled a quantity of it.

“It’s my view, having decided to involve yourself in its manufacture, you assumed the risk.

“It’s a simple matter of good fortune you were overcome when you were and before you commenced any journey.

“Your behaviour was irresponsible.”