‘Mafia links’: Troubling claims on seedy bar where Melbourne teens were poisoned

The bar where two Melbourne teens were allegedly poisoned openly sells hard drugs and reportedly has links to the Asian mafia, it has been claimed.

The Laos bar two Australian teens were visiting when they allegedly consumed drinks that left one dead and the other fighting for her life is claimed to have links to organised crime and the Asian mafia.

Best friends Holly Bowles and Bianca Jones, both 19, were on the backpacking adventure of a lifetime. Ms Jones has now died, while Ms Bowles remains on life support in a Thai hospital, after a suspected methanol poisoning.

The young women from Melbourne were visiting Vang Vieng, a popular tourist town about 130km north of Vientiane in Laos, when the pair allegedly consumed drinks spiked with the chemical before falling ill.

Sources in Laos claimed that the bar the tourists were drinking at was affiliated with organised crime and the Asian mafia

“I can’t say too much, I need to protect my safety,” a source told The Herald Sun.

“The problem is at Jaidee’s Bar. They are dangerous.”

WhatsApp messages show that the bar the pair visited offers free spirits and openly sells opium, ecstasy and ketamine, according to the newspaper.

The bar on the riverfront at Vang Vieng, a backpacker hotspot in Laos, has a standard drinks list, but also has a printed, hard-copy drugs menu. There is no suggestion that either Aussie teen was involved in any drug-taking activity of any kind.

The Jaidee Bar, that offers a drug menu, where the girls went after drinking at the Nana Backpackers Hostel. Patrons at the bar inhale gas from a large black balloon.

Patrons at the bar inhale gas from a large black balloon.

Holly Bowles was travelling with her friend Bianca Jones in Southeast Asia.

Bianca Jones passed away in a different Thai hospital.

Ms Jones’ family announced that she had passed away on Thursday afternoon.

“It is with the heaviest of hearts that we share the news that our beloved daughter and sister, Bianca Jones, has passed away,” a statement provided to the Herald Sun read.

“She was surrounded by love, and we are comforted by the knowledge that her incredible spirit touched so many lives during her time with us.

“We want to express our deepest gratitude for the overwhelming support, love, and prayers we’ve received from across Australia.

“The kindness shown to our family during this unimaginable time has been truly humbling.

“We kindly ask for privacy as we navigate through our grief and begin to heal. Thank you for respecting our family’s space.”

Speaking in Melbourne on Wednesday, Ms Bowles’ uncle Dale Bowles said her parents were by her side in hospital.

“We’re a small family, we’re a tight family, we come together in tough situations and there’s none tougher than this,” he told the ABC, adding it was a “day-by-day process at the moment”.

The Jaidee Bar, that offers a drug menu, where the girls went after drinking at the Nana Backpackers Hostel.

A group of 10 backpackers have since fallen ill, two of whom were young women from Denmark who have since died, the Danish Ministry for Foreign Affairs confirmed. A third person, a US citizen, is also reported to have died after the incident.

According to the Herald Sun, the Ms Jones and Ms Bowles complained they “couldn’t breathe” when they begged for help at a backpackers hostel.

A staff member from Nana’s Backpackers Hostel, where the women were staying, claims the pair came to reception pleading for assistance and to be taken to hospital.

“They spent all day of the 12th (of November) in their room. We didn’t know what was happening with them because they go party outside,” the worker, who went by the nickname Pikachu, said.

“They come to tell my staff, please, can you help me, bring me to the hospital.

“They feeling hard to breathe, the staff in the night shift just quickly bring her to the hospital.”

Ms Bowles and Ms Jones had left Melbourne a couple of weeks ago to set off on their dream holiday. They were due to return home for Christmas.

The club put out a statement on Wednesday. Picture: Supplied

‘Cherished and highly respected’

Both Ms Bowles and Ms Jones came through the ranks of the Beaumaris Football Club in Melbourne’s southeast.

In a statement, president Nick Heath extended the club’s “love, best wishes and unconditional support” to the teens “in their hour of need”.

“Our heartfelt thoughts are also with their parents Samantha and Shaun Bowles, Michelle and Mark Jones as well as their extended families and friends,” he said.

“The situation that occurred whilst both girls were travelling in South-East Asia is tragic and distressing.”

Mr Heath wrote that Ms Bowles and Ms Jones had “achieved rarefied air” by playing in premiershop teams for the club, including together in 2022.

Ms Bowles had since gone on to play senior football for the club, and was part of the VAFA Women’s B Grade competition this year.

“By their deeds and involvement in the girls and women’s football programs, both Holly and Bianca have become cherished and highly respected members of the Beaumaris Sharks family,” Mr Heath wrote.

“We acknowledge Holly and Bianca’s teammates and friends at the club are struggling to come to terms with what has occurred.

‘They wouldn’t have known’

Methanol is often deliberately added to alcoholic beverages as a cheaper alternative to ethanol, which is the normal alcohol used in alcoholic drinks.

According to the Methanol Institute, this usually occurs in countries where taxes on ethanol are seen as too high — such as Bali and other Southeast Asian countries.

Drinking just 25 to 90ml of methanol can be fatal, the institute said.

It’s the reason Australian man Colin Ahearn, who runs Facebook advisory page Just Don’t Drink Spirits in Bali, has been advocating for travellers to only drink single-serve beverages while abroad — such as bottled beer or pre-mixed sealed cans. Mr Ahearn has been providing travellers who have fallen victim to methanol poisoning advice on treatment and recovery for close to a decade.

Holly Bowles has been identified as one of the two Australian teenagers involved in a methanol poisoning.

Ms Jones sadly lost her life in the incident.

Speaking to news.com.au, Mr Ahearn said the teenagers wouldn’t have had any idea what they had consumed until it was too late and the “horrendous” symptoms took hold.

“Ethanol is normal sugar based alcohol, so the body will process ethanol quite easily because it’s just sugar,” he explained.

“Methanol on the other hand, it’s a harder product to be metabolised. So if someone has normal alcohol in their system, that will process that first, then the methanol will be processed.

“Generally speaking, if someone has a big night, there will be maybe a 5-10 hour delay before the booze is out of their system and the methanol takes over, and that’s when it starts to impact their soft tissues.

The girls were staying at Nanas Backpackers.

“So someone consuming it wouldn’t taste it, they wouldn’t have known at all. If there’s no other alcohol in their system, it will hit really quickly. But normally there’s other alcohol in the system to metabolise first, so there is a delay in symptoms.”

Colin Ahearn campaigns to raise awareness of methanol poisoning. Picture: Supplied

Methanol is sometimes used in cocktails in some countries due to being less expensive to make.

Mr Ahearn said once methanol starts to take hold of someone who has consumed the chemical, a relatively small amount can be fatal.

“The initial signs will be blurred vision, and around 99 per cent of victims will have erratic breathing,” he said.

“They will have stomach cramps and diarrhoea … and disorientation will hit. They will also want to sleep, and then what happens … it essentially embalms you.”

Mr Ahearn said a single shot of methanol is enough to cause blindness, and while everyone processes the chemical differently — if someone weighed around 60kg and had a double shot in their drink — “that would be lights out and enough to kill you”.

But what’s perhaps the most scary part of methanol poisoning, he said, is how it can sometimes mimic the common symptoms associated with ‘Bali belly’ — and delay a victim from seeking help at the right time.

“You’re going to have cramps, nausea, headaches … a lot of the things that will mimic [Bali belly or Delhi belly] but it is actually methanol poisoning,” he said.

“It’s horrendous, the gut pain … the fear … the anxiety that comes along with it.”

Methanol, which is colourless and the simplest form of alcohol, is closely related to ethanol.

Methanol, which is colourless and the simplest form of alcohol, is closely related to ethanol, which is the type of alcohol normally found in beer, wine and spirits, but is a dangerous poison. It is a chemical building block for hundreds of everyday products, including plastics, paints, car parts and construction materials.

Mr Ahearn said methanol poisoning can be treated successfully if diagnosed within 10-30 hours of ingestion, with suspected cases advised to go to hospital which has dialysis equipment as soon as possible.

He said to avoid a poisoning while travelling abroad in places like Bali, Laos or Thailand, travellers should only buy alcohol from reputable venues and shops, avoid pre-mixed drinks or cocktails that have not been poured in front of you and not to get swept up in cheap prices or free drinks, because low costs could indicate a home brew rather than from a reputable distillery.