A 17-year-old Castle Hill boy has been charged with various drug supply offenses after the Hardcore Til I Die festival in Sydney overnight, with police alleging that a search that they conducted on the teenager turned up 579 capsules and $2075 in cash.
The teen, who was charged with offenses relating to the supply and possession of prohibited drugs and dealing with the proceeds of crime, is due to face children’s court in February. He is one of ten people facing similar charges after yesterday’s festivals.
Operations were carried out at Sydney Olympic Park and Centennial Park for the Hardcore Til I Die and Electric Gardens festivals, both of which kicked off yesterday afternoon. Per a NSW Police statement from earlier today, the list of those charged also includes:
- A 25-year-old Mount Pritchard man who was allegedly found with 100 MDMA tablets and a knife in his possession
- A 19-year-old South Australian woman who allegedly had 48 MDMA tablets in her possession
- An 18-year-old Beverley Park man
- An 18-year-old Greenacre woman
- A 19-year-old Marsden Park woman
- An 18-year-old Matraville man
In addition to making a total of ten arrests, police issued 47 people with drug criminal infringement notices, across both festival locations.
Two men who attended the Hardcore Til I Die festival were admitted to Westmead Hospital in critical condition overnight, among a total of 14 people hospitalised after both festivals. Authorities believe that drugs played a part in some but not all of the hospitalisations.
The Rolling Loud Australia festival is to be held at Sydney Olympic Park tonight, and NSW Health will have high-level critical care medical teams on site, saying in a statement:
“NSW Health has put multiple harm reduction measures in place ahead of what is forecast to be a very hot long weekend, to do all we can to prevent deaths at these events. We are urging festival-goers to go to the medical tents immediately if they’ve taken a party drug and feel unwell. Don’t delay it, seek help for yourself and your mates early, it could be the difference between life and death.”
