As almost 20 young Aussie festivalgoers were carted off to hospital due to suspected drug overdoses this weekend — one girl decided to make a bold statement as she was being loaded onto an ambulance.
The reveller at Sydney Showground’s Rolling Loud festival posed with a peace sign as she took a selfie of herself strapped to a stretcher and being lugged away by paramedics.
The bizarre scenes came as several people were slapped with drug charges while more than a dozen people were left critically ill due to drug use at Sydney music festivals over the weekend.
At Victorian music festivals, at least six revellers, one critical, lie in hospital beds after suspected drug overdoses.
TEENAGER ALLEGEDLY CAUGHT WITH 579 CAPS
Among a string of arrests in Homebush in Sydney’s west, police searched a 17-year-old boy, from Castle Hill, and allegedly found 579 capsules and $2075 cash. He has been charged with supply prohibited drug, deal with property proceeds of crime, and possessing a prohibited drug.
Extra safety measures were in place at three Australia Day long weekend festivals including increased presence of critical care medical teams and harm reduction measures, such as roving drug educators and free electrolyte drinks.
Drugs are likely to have been a factor in four of eight hospitalisations following the Rolling Loud festival at Sydney Showgrounds on Sunday, NSW Health said.
By midnight on Sunday a female in her 20s, another female in her teens and a male in his 20s were serious but stable conditions.
Another female in her 20s was in a critical but stable condition. A male in his teens was in a stable condition and two females in their teens and a male in his 20s were in non-critical conditions after attending the hip-hop festival.
It comes as six men aged under 25 were either stable or discharged from hospital after leaving the Hardcore Till I Die festival at Sydney Olympic Park on Saturday in critical or serious conditions.
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.
Five people were taken to hospital on Saturday 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.
However, some people attempting to get into the festivals have lashed out at police tactics — saying they have been wrongly strip searched and then had their tickets declared void.
“How degrading is it to be made to strip naked, squat and cough while having two police officers stare you down, judging you and, in the end, after having nothing on you, get refused entry and have you ticket confiscated and ripped up in front of you while you’re watching them refund other people’s tickets,” one disgruntled commenter wrote on Facebook, who attempted to get into the Homebush event.
“I don’t know what kind of bulls**t this is, but I am appalled and have never felt more embarrassed. Thank you for absolutely nothing, having me waste my money and ruin my day.”
NSW 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.
WOMAN HIT IN THE FACE WITH GLASS BOTTLE
A row with a security guard at a Sydney Olympic Park music festival turned nasty — and left a woman with facial injuries.
Police allege security officer was responding to an unrelated incident when he was punched in the face by an 18-year-old man about 6.45pm on Saturday.
“The same man then allegedly picked up a glass bottle and threw it at the guard; however, it missed him and instead hit an 18-year-old woman from Ryde,” NSW Police said in a statement. “The bottle broke on impact and she had to be treated at the scene for facial lacerations.”
When officers found him, it’s alleged he became aggressive and a struggle ensued, with officers using capsicum spray to take him into custody. They allege the man then spat at an officer.
He was taken to Auburn Police Station where he was charged with reckless wounding, common assault, assaulting police, and resisting or hindering a police officer in the execution of duty.
SUSPECTED OVERDOSES AT RAINBOW SERPENT
At least six revellers, one critical, lie in hospital beds after suspected drug overdoses as a regional Victorian music festival enters its final day. Partygoers at the Rainbow Serpent Festival in Lexton, near Ballarat, are due to begin packing up and winding down after spending four days at the event, found to be littered with drugs.
A woman in her 20s was in a critical condition at the Austin Hospital in Melbourne after being transferred from a Ballarat hospital on Sunday. A man in his 40s was also taken to Ballarat hospital on Sunday for a condition linked to drug-taking.
In the 24 hours to 7.30am on Sunday, Victoria Police caught 22 people with drugs, and issued 17 drug diversions or cannabis cautions.
Officers arrested four males and a female for a range of offences including trafficking and possessing a drug of dependence, counterfeit cash, proceeds of crime and assault.
Three festival-goers were injured, one seriously, after a truck rolled into a campsite on Thursday afternoon.
The event went ahead 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.
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