Man who died after Defqon1 dance party 'took three pills'

Updated September 16, 2013 17:36:06

A man who died after attending a Sydney dance festival took three pills, New South Wales Police said.

The 23-year-old travelled from Victoria to Penrith, in Sydney's west, for the Defqon1 festival on Saturday, which attracted about 18,000 hard trance fans.

He started having seizures just before midday and was taken to Nepean Hospital where he had several heart attacks.

Doctors managed to resuscitate him, but he later died.

Head of the Drug Squad Detective Superintendent Nick Bingham says the man admitted taking drugs.

"He told hospital staff that he took three pills," he said.

Audio: Detective Superintendent Nick Bingham speaks to 702 ABC Sydney (ABC News)

"There was another substance or substances with him, but we don't know if he took those pills or not."

Superintendent Bingham says he does not know what kind of pills they were, but police were confiscating many that had a horse head logo on the packet.

Detective Superintendent Bingham says the drugs were probably an imitation of ecstasy.

Death puts sniffer dogs under scrutiny

Police sniffer dogs patrolled the event and 84 people were arrested for drug offences.

Detective Superintendent Bingham says he understands that seeing the sniffer dogs may prompt some people to swallow all their pills at once, rather than risk arrest by police.

But he says the police cannot be blamed for doing their job.


"You can't blame the police for going out an policing a venue for trying to stop people from taking these substances.

"If they go, if they're willing to as you say stuff these pills down their throat before they even go into the venue, that's hardly the police's fault."

Detective Superintendent Arthur Katsogiannis says the man may have swallowed the three pills at once because he wanted them to take effect faster.

"Some of the drugs that they may have taken over the weekend had an actual delayed effect," he said.

"So with that delayed effect that may have caused them to think 'this is not working, I'll take another one, and I'll take another one.'

"Obviously in this particular young man's situation it proved to be fatal."

Organiser saddened by death, cites zero-tolerance drug policy

Fourteen others were treated for suspected drug overdoses at the festival.

The event's organiser, Q-Dance Australia, says it is deeply saddened by the man's death.

The company says it has a zero-tolerance drug policy which is printed on every ticket sold along with a notice of a strong police presence.

Q-Dance says it tries to provide a safe environment through high security and a medical plan which is reviewed by NSW Health.

Detective Inspector Grant Healey says police have spoken to others who admitted taking pills.

"The problem with pills is you don't know what you're getting, and you're really having a lottery with your life taking those pills," he said.

Police are waiting for toxicology results and a report will be prepared for the Coroner.

Topics: accidents---other, drugs-and-substance-abuse, penrith-2750, vic

First posted September 16, 2013 08:29:22