Festival X drug supply accused Natheer Raffie bailed
One of four people arrested for supplying drugs at Sydney’s Festival X (pictured centre) allegedly had 19 red capsules and $7110 in allegedly stolen cash on him, a court was told today.
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One of four people arrested for supplying drugs at Sydney’s Festival X allegedly had 19 red capsules and $7110 cash on him, a court heard
Unemployed Natheer Raffie, 22, appeared downcast and nervously clasped his cuffed hands at Amber Laurel Correctional Centre where he appeared on screen in Parramatta Bail Court.
He was arrested yesterday at the Sydney Olympic Park festival and charged with supplying a commercial quality of a prohibited drug, possess a prohibited drug and deal with proceeds of crime.
Court papers state he was charged with supplying 19 red capsules of prohibited methyl- enedioxymethamphetamine, commonly known as ecstasy or molly, amounting to 1.5g, between 7pm and 7.30pm.
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He allegedly had $7,110 cash, which police said in court papers he was suspected to have stolen.
His lawyer Ian McGuinness told the court: “His mother is not naive and has said she would enter $1000 surety, as well another member of his family offering $1000.
“He is supported here on the left side of the public gallery by members of his family including his sister and brother and in-laws.
“Given the seriousness of the situation I have spoken to his mother who has said that she would put up the cash surety if he were granted bail and put on a curfew and report to police daily.”
Magistrate Mal Macpherson granted the Eagle Vale High School graduate bail on conditions he did not enter dance venues or Sydney Olympic Park, resided at his mother’s home in Eschol Park in southwest Sydney, reported daily to Fairfield police station and abided by a curfew of 8pm to 8am at the family home.
He was ordered to not drink alcohol or take drugs unless prescribed by a doctor.
The matter was is due in Parramatta Local Court on December 4.
FESTIVAL X
Overall police charged four people with supplying drugs at the Festival X music event at Sydney Olympic Park on Saturday.
As part of a trial, 13 people found with prohibited drugs were dealt with by way of a Drug Criminal Infringement Notices and fined up to $400.
Medical tents Festival X treated 125 people. NSW Health said 13 people were taken from the festival to hospital.
Five of those patients received high level emergency care on site, and drugs were likely to be a factor in nine of the hospitalisation cases.
All the patients remained in hospital in stable conditions early Sunday afternoon.
A man who collapsed on a park bench and was unresponsive to police was believed to be the first overdose at the festival.
The reveller passed out just before 4pm outside the main entrance to Sydney Showgrounds.
Moments later, DanceWize NSW volunteers rushed over and worked on the man, aged in his 30s, physically jerking and rubbing the man’s chest and checking his pulse.
Paramedics revived him a short time later and he was taken by buggy to the festival’s medical tent.
About 8pm, emergency services responded to another suspected overdose, with a partygoer treated on scene inside the Showgrounds before being driven by ambulance to hospital.
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Festival X — headlined by Calvin Harris — was the subject of intense scrutiny by police, with dozens of officers positioned at the main entrance.
Within the first hour of doors opening, police sniffer dogs had already signalled a potential detection of drugs on a number of revellers.
Dozens more officers from stations across Sydney patrolled inside the festival, which itself had employed hundreds of security guards.
The top priority for police was targeting partygoers attempting to smuggle illicit substances such as MDMA into the event.
“The less drugs today the better,” one officer told the Sunday Telegraph.
The operation comes just weeks after NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller flagged that the force would not back pill testing at major festivals.
“Pill testing provides a false confidence to an individual that the drug they want to take is safe,” Mr Fuller said on November 11.
“There is no such thing. All illegal substances carry the risk of harming, or ultimately killing, the user.”
On Sunday, authorities revealed festivalgoers had drunk more alcohol inside the venue than the past summer.
NSW Police Superintendent Jason Weinstein said it was “sad” the message about not taking drugs was not getting through to everyone.
“It’s sad and concerning that after all the warnings and advice that were given to festivalgoers attending that festival — 29 people were charged with drug related offences, four of those people were charged with supplying prohibited drugs in various quantities,” he said.
However, Mr Weinstein said the amount of drugs that were seized had dropped compared with festivals last summer when five young people fatally overdosed.
“The quantities of prohibited drugs that we are locating is diminishing compared to previous festivals,” he said.
“Does drug taking still occur at these festivals? Yes it does. And that’s why NSW Police makes it known we’re conducting operations in an attempt to deter drugs from entering and those who are intent on supplying those evil and destructive items — that’s the reason why we’re there.
“The quantity of drugs we are seizing on people and charging with supply at festivals is quite substantially lower than what was occurring.
“(At Festival X) our strongest seizure was 8.4g of MDMA, which equated to about 40 to 50 pills. Whereas we saw many individuals last festival season in possession of 300-plus pills on any one occasion.”
Mr Weinstein said police were not pulling back despite criticism of strip searches.
“That’s not the evidence that I certainly have — (at Festival X) we conducted 130 searches on individuals going to the festival, 31 of those persons were strip searches.
“At the end of the day NSW Police operate under legislation and strip searches are part of the law enforcement powers act and it’s upon the constable to satisfy themselves that they have reasonable suspicion to undertake that strip search,” he said.
“On some occasions some festivals may have a higher strip search rate than others. (Strip searching) would occur everyday in general policing and the festivals are no different.”
Festival organisers have been approached for comment on the drug arrests at the event.
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