poledriver
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Aus - Claims bad ecstacy batch was sold at 'hard core' Defqon causing the death of one man and hospitalising dozens
IT is a self-described "psychedelic wasteland" that demands its revellers "scrap the system" - but the turned fatal Defqon 1 festival is now facing claims a "bad batch" of ecstasy was sold to thrill seekers.
Police will investigate whether toxic pills, proffered as ecstasy, were dealt inside the thumping surrounds of the dance festival, a "hard core" event which by late Saturday ended with one attendee dead and more than a dozen others in hospital with drug overdoses.
A 23-year-old man was rushed to the site's medical tent barely an hour after gates opened to thousands on late Saturday morning, ahead of a 100-act line up across seven stages.
Extra paramedics had been rostered on for the festival- in its fifth year at the Sydney International Regatta Centre in Penrith - but there could be no on-site saving of the Victorian man who fell sicker by the minute.
Rushed to Nepean hospital in a critical condition with "fitting" just after 1pm, he would lapse into numerous and prolonged episodes of cardiac arrest.
At 10.30pm, doctors could no longer resuscitate him, and pronounced him dead.
It's believed he travelled by car from Victoria with a group of friends to attend the one-day show, which had on-site camping on Friday night.
Witness Luke Ussia said he saw security move into the medical tents "every 10 or 20 minutes."
More than 100 police were at the event for drug detection. Police dogs circled the area to catch out anyone sneaking illicit items into the site.
Festival goers told The Daily Telegraph police had lined the entry gates to try to prevent drugs getting inside the gates.
"There were police everywhere," attendee Adam Watson, 22, said.
"A lot of people got done at the gate for trying to risk bringing in drugs. It was cheaper that way than buying them off someone inside."
But police said yesterday at least six people got inside with a suppliable amount of drugs. As the music petered out at night's end at least 20 people, ranging in age from 17-55, had been rushed to hospital with overdoses or reactions to a variety of substances.
They were all released from Nepean Hospital by late yesterday.
More than 80 people were arrested on drugs charges at the festival, with six charged with supplying drugs. Many are expected to face court in coming weeks.
Some took to Facebook on Saturday morning to warn partiers on their way that "there is a drug bus on Mulgoa Road already, just after [Penrith] Panthers.''
Even as news of the man's death spread across social media, many who were at the festival bragged about the amount of drugs on offer with comments like ""How many pingers did you eat?" on Defqon fan pages, while another wrote in response to the overdose "people this is why you pace yourself."
Another wrote on Facebook that he had helped someone "have seizures in front of me and his friends didn't know what to do" but had later learnt "this man was the one who'd lost his life."
There were claims yesterday a batch of "bad" or "green" pills with horseheads stamped on them were distributed at the site, amid fears a new stream of drugs is making its way into Australia with potential deadly consequences.
Those taken to hospital with suspected overdoses were not in the same group of partiers.
Several drug-related deaths at UK music festivals this year were linked to PMA - a toxic substance that is often sold as ecstasy even though its effect is much stronger.
PMA is also regarded as taking longer to kick in than standard ecstasy tablets, leading to a risk revellers will take a higher dose and place themselves in danger of a fatal reaction.
Sydney dance teacher Annabel Catt died after taking PMA - believing it to be ecstasy - at the Good Vibrations music festival in February 2007. Another NSW man also died the same year from the drug.
Penrith LAC Detective Inspector Grant Healey said it was unknown what drug the deceased man - or the 14 others who were hospitalised - overdosed on but said any drug taker was at the mercy of its "cook."
The Sydney International Regatta Centre transformed into a party island for the Defqon.1 Festival Source: News Limited
"There were such a vast variety of drugs at the festival yesterday we can't link them," he said.
"We saw things that were reported as magic mushrooms, cannabis, amphetamines, cocaine, LSD, ecstasy, GHB - this is what people were saying it was.
"At the moment police are waiting for the results from the post mortem and toxicology before we say too much more about it."
He said multiple "pills" believed to be ecstasy were the most likely responsible for the man's death.
"The problem with pills is you never know what you are getting and you are really taking a lottery with your life," Det Insp Healey said.
"If you think you are buying a particular pill there's no quality control and you're getting whatever the cook makes.
"The music festivals themselves aren't the problem, the problem is adults attending those festivals making poor choices about their lifestyle and taking drugs that they don't know what's in them."
Premier Barry O'Farrell said yesterday "this is just another demonstration that those people who call these substances 'recreational drugs' are dead wrong. A person has died.
"This is unacceptable and just demonstrates that what some people call 'recreational drugs' can kill," he said.
His comments were echoed by NSW opposition leader John Robertson who said the state needed to remain "vigilant" in drug education.
"There are clearly some serious questions that need to be answered by the event organiser's about what steps were taken to ensure the event remained drug free and those at the festival were kept safe. I think the grieving family deserve some answers from organisers," Mr Robertson said.
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/ne...italising-dozens/story-fni0cx12-1226719631765
IT is a self-described "psychedelic wasteland" that demands its revellers "scrap the system" - but the turned fatal Defqon 1 festival is now facing claims a "bad batch" of ecstasy was sold to thrill seekers.
Police will investigate whether toxic pills, proffered as ecstasy, were dealt inside the thumping surrounds of the dance festival, a "hard core" event which by late Saturday ended with one attendee dead and more than a dozen others in hospital with drug overdoses.
A 23-year-old man was rushed to the site's medical tent barely an hour after gates opened to thousands on late Saturday morning, ahead of a 100-act line up across seven stages.
Extra paramedics had been rostered on for the festival- in its fifth year at the Sydney International Regatta Centre in Penrith - but there could be no on-site saving of the Victorian man who fell sicker by the minute.
Rushed to Nepean hospital in a critical condition with "fitting" just after 1pm, he would lapse into numerous and prolonged episodes of cardiac arrest.
At 10.30pm, doctors could no longer resuscitate him, and pronounced him dead.
It's believed he travelled by car from Victoria with a group of friends to attend the one-day show, which had on-site camping on Friday night.
Witness Luke Ussia said he saw security move into the medical tents "every 10 or 20 minutes."
More than 100 police were at the event for drug detection. Police dogs circled the area to catch out anyone sneaking illicit items into the site.
Festival goers told The Daily Telegraph police had lined the entry gates to try to prevent drugs getting inside the gates.
"There were police everywhere," attendee Adam Watson, 22, said.
"A lot of people got done at the gate for trying to risk bringing in drugs. It was cheaper that way than buying them off someone inside."
But police said yesterday at least six people got inside with a suppliable amount of drugs. As the music petered out at night's end at least 20 people, ranging in age from 17-55, had been rushed to hospital with overdoses or reactions to a variety of substances.
They were all released from Nepean Hospital by late yesterday.
More than 80 people were arrested on drugs charges at the festival, with six charged with supplying drugs. Many are expected to face court in coming weeks.
Some took to Facebook on Saturday morning to warn partiers on their way that "there is a drug bus on Mulgoa Road already, just after [Penrith] Panthers.''
Even as news of the man's death spread across social media, many who were at the festival bragged about the amount of drugs on offer with comments like ""How many pingers did you eat?" on Defqon fan pages, while another wrote in response to the overdose "people this is why you pace yourself."
Another wrote on Facebook that he had helped someone "have seizures in front of me and his friends didn't know what to do" but had later learnt "this man was the one who'd lost his life."
There were claims yesterday a batch of "bad" or "green" pills with horseheads stamped on them were distributed at the site, amid fears a new stream of drugs is making its way into Australia with potential deadly consequences.
Those taken to hospital with suspected overdoses were not in the same group of partiers.
Several drug-related deaths at UK music festivals this year were linked to PMA - a toxic substance that is often sold as ecstasy even though its effect is much stronger.
PMA is also regarded as taking longer to kick in than standard ecstasy tablets, leading to a risk revellers will take a higher dose and place themselves in danger of a fatal reaction.
Sydney dance teacher Annabel Catt died after taking PMA - believing it to be ecstasy - at the Good Vibrations music festival in February 2007. Another NSW man also died the same year from the drug.
Penrith LAC Detective Inspector Grant Healey said it was unknown what drug the deceased man - or the 14 others who were hospitalised - overdosed on but said any drug taker was at the mercy of its "cook."
The Sydney International Regatta Centre transformed into a party island for the Defqon.1 Festival Source: News Limited
"There were such a vast variety of drugs at the festival yesterday we can't link them," he said.
"We saw things that were reported as magic mushrooms, cannabis, amphetamines, cocaine, LSD, ecstasy, GHB - this is what people were saying it was.
"At the moment police are waiting for the results from the post mortem and toxicology before we say too much more about it."
He said multiple "pills" believed to be ecstasy were the most likely responsible for the man's death.
"The problem with pills is you never know what you are getting and you are really taking a lottery with your life," Det Insp Healey said.
"If you think you are buying a particular pill there's no quality control and you're getting whatever the cook makes.
"The music festivals themselves aren't the problem, the problem is adults attending those festivals making poor choices about their lifestyle and taking drugs that they don't know what's in them."
Premier Barry O'Farrell said yesterday "this is just another demonstration that those people who call these substances 'recreational drugs' are dead wrong. A person has died.
"This is unacceptable and just demonstrates that what some people call 'recreational drugs' can kill," he said.
His comments were echoed by NSW opposition leader John Robertson who said the state needed to remain "vigilant" in drug education.
"There are clearly some serious questions that need to be answered by the event organiser's about what steps were taken to ensure the event remained drug free and those at the festival were kept safe. I think the grieving family deserve some answers from organisers," Mr Robertson said.
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/ne...italising-dozens/story-fni0cx12-1226719631765
