Worst drug Australia has ever seen: wellness guru ODs on elephant tranquilliser

A SELF-proclaimed authority on “rebirthing style breathing” has overdosed on a tranquilliser “10,000 times stronger than morphine”.

Jaan Jerabek answers the door after his alleged overdose. Picture: Ashley Feder

A SELF-proclaimed “authority” on cathartic breathwork and other new age therapies has become the first to reportedly overdose on an elephant tranquilliser experts have described as the most dangerous drug Australia has ever seen.

Emergency services were called to Mandalong Sanctuary, in the NSW CEntral coast, about midday on Friday where they found owner Jaan Jerabek suffering a suspected overdose on carfentanil.

The drug is a synthetic opioid and is reported to be 10,000 times stronger than morphine and is a far more powerful analog of fentanyl, which gained worldwide attention after the death of pop star Prince.

Mandalong Sanctuary owned by Mr Jerabek and his wife Gina Burn-Jerabek where he had an alleged overdose.

Carfentanil was first synthesised in 1974 as a tranquilliser to sedate elephants and animals of similar size.

Authorities warn that a single gram of carfentanil is enough to kill 50,000 people.

Mr Jerabek was rushed to Wyong Hospital after paramedics were forced to use a “s**t tonne” of naloxone — a commonly used opioid reversing agent — to stabilise him and save his life.

The 43-year-old allegedly later told emergency staff he bought the drug off the dark web and had it posted to him through the mail.

Mr Jerabek allegedly told emergency staff he bought the drug off the dark web.

It has been linked to scores of fatal overdoses in the US and Canada but Mr Jerabek is believed to be the first reported overdose in Australia.

Carfentanil is a liquid drug that can be fatal to humans in incredibly small doses, and is toxic when injected, ingested, inhaled, or even if it comes in contact with unprotected skin and eyes.

The alleged overdose at Mandalong has spooked Central Coast paramedics who fear the drug could pose serious “secondary contamination” issues for first responders.

A screenshot from one of Mr Jerabek’s YouTube videos spruiking his breathwork techniques.

Late last year Australian Border Force (ABF) officials detected a package containing carfentanil in a Sydney mail centre.

ABF NSW regional commander Tim Fitzgerald said at the time it was the first known detection of this substance at an Australian border.

On his websites for the wellness retreat he runs at Mandalong and another company, Global Transformative Education of which he lists himself as Director, Mr Jerabek describes himself as “one of Australia’s recognised authorities on breathwork and consciousness”.

Carfentanil is an opiate and an analog of Fentanyl, which is commonly used on elephants and is 10,000 times more potent than morphine.

“It is ‘Rebirthing Style’ Breathwork — necessary to temporarily dissolve the barrier between conscious & unconscious,” he writes.

“I am an authority on the emotional process and have been facilitating people professionally for Breathwork Therapy through workshops and individual treatments since I was 20.”

His websites state he runs wellness retreats offering massage, yoga, meditation, homoeopathy among other treatments during retreats on his 40ha property at the foot of the Watagans, which he runs with his yoga teacher and naturopath wife Gina Burn-Jerabek and their Labrador, Yogi-Bear.

Mr Jerabek says he likes the serenity of his wellness retreat and his horses. Picture: Supplied

A police spokesman confirmed Tuggerah Lakes officers were contacted by Wyong Hospital regarding an alleged overdose involving a male patient, 43, from Mandalong.

He said police attended the hospital and later the Mandalong property where they “seized a quantity of drugs”.

“The drugs will be sent for analysis,” the spokesman said.

Mr Jerabek is believed to be the first in Australia to overdose on carfentanil. Picture: Supplied

He said it could take some time before the results were known but it was unlikely the man would be charged.

When the Express Advocate visited the property on Tuesday Mr Jerabek answered the door in a dressing gown but declined to comment when asked about the alleged overdose on Friday and how he obtained the carfentanil.

“Nah, that’s personal he said,” before closing the door.”

Carfentanil is more potent than Fentanyl Citrate which is a pharmaceutical grade opioid used to treat post-surgical or chronic pain. Illegal use of the drug has caused hundreds of deaths overseas and authorities fear they are coming to Australia.

WHAT IS CARFENTANIL?

■ Carfentanil was first synthesised in a commercial Belgium lab in 1974

■ It was marketed as a general anaesthetic for elephants and other large beasts

■ It was openly made in China where it was not a controlled substance until March, 2017

■ It is traded on the “dark web” and is a sought after narcotic because it only requires smallest of doses and it can be mailed through the post.

■ It can be taken as a nasal spray or a patch like nicotine replacement therapy.

■ The toxicity of carfentanil has been compared to nerve gas.

■ It has been linked to the Moscow theatre hostage crisis in 2002 where 170 people died after Russian special forces pumped an “unknown” gas into the building to subdue armed Chechens. Naloxone was used as an antidote.