Eleven people left ill in Sydney and six near Ballarat after Australia Day long weekend music festivals

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

A teenage boy has been found with almost 600 capsules and $2,000 cash at a Sydney music festival where several people left critically ill due to drug use.

Six young men aged under 25 left the Hardcore Till I Die festival at Sydney Olympic Park on Saturday in critical or serious conditions. All were either stable or discharged from hospital by Sunday.

Police accused seven people of drug supply at the event, including the 17-year-old Castle Hill boy with 579 capsules and $2,075. He is due to face a children’s court on 20 February.

Another alleged supplier, aged 25, was allegedly found with 100 MDMA capsules and a knife while a South Australian woman allegedly had 48 ecstasy capsules on her.

A further 16 people are due to face court for drug possession while 30 people were ejected for intoxication.

The HTID festival was one of two Australia Day music festivals in Sydney to have extra high-level critical care medical teams and more harm reduction measures, such as roving drug educators and free electrolyte drinks.

Five people were taken to hospital from Electric Gardens in Centennial Park due to suspected drug use, while 55 people were charged with drug possession and one woman accused of MDMA supply.

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The New South Wales premier, Gladys Berejiklian, whose government footed the bill for the extra protection, said she hoped and prayed people were starting to get the message to not take illicit drugs.

“I know some people are advocating one solution or another but there isn’t one solution,” she told reporters on Sunday. “It’s a complex issue.

“We want young people to feel they can have a conversation, we want young people to get help when they need it.”

The premier and health department thanked staff and volunteers at the two festivals for ensuring attendees’ safety.

“The additional critical care staff contributed significantly to the positive outcomes seen overnight,” a NSW Health spokeswoman said.

The emergency services minister, Troy Grant, said there was no doubt the police force’s disruption of three large drug operations in the lead up to the festivals had an impact in the quantity of drugs in and around these festivals.

Extra safety measures were also in place at hip-hop festival Rolling Loud at Sydney Showgrounds on Sunday.

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Meanwhile in Victoria a 24-year-old Ivanhoe man is fighting for life after a suspected drug overdose at the Rainbow Serpent festival.

He was flown to a Melbourne hospital in a critical condition, police said.

He is one of seven people, all aged in their 20s except one person in their 30s, to be taken to hospital for alleged drug-taking since the festival kicked off on Friday.

Victorian police caught 16 people with drugs in the 24 hours to 7.30am on Monday, issuing 13 drug diversion or cannabis cautions.

Police officers arrested three men for allegedly trafficking a drug of dependence and two are also accused of possessing proceeds of crime. One of the men has been remanded in custody.

Sniffer drugs had been brought into the festival in Lexton, near Ballarat, to assist.

Three festival goers were injured, one seriously, after a truck rolled into a campsite on Thursday afternoon.

The four-day event has been held amid political debate about pill testing after five people died from suspected drug overdoses at NSW festivals since September.

The festival has also been marred by controversy after last year’s two reported sexual assaults, five arrests for drug possession and 44 people testing positive to drug-driving.

The event wraps up on Monday.