Two men charged with dealing drugs at Beyond the Valley festival
Two men have been charged with dealing cocaine, MDMA and ketamine at Beyond the Valley festival days after a festival-goer overdosed and ended up in hospital.
Victoria
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A second man has been arrested for drug trafficking at the Beyond the Valley music festival, with police seizing what they allege to be illicit substances.
Officers searched a 27-year-old Rippleside man in Barunah Plains about 5.25pm on Monday, hours after they intercepted a 28-year-old South Yarra man.
During the raid, 27g of cocaine and 15g of ketamine were seized.
The Rippleside man was charged with trafficking cocaine and ketamine and has since been bailed to appear before Geelong Magistrates’ Court on March 12.
A South Yarra man was also arrested at BTV for allegedly dealing cocaine and MDMA.
The man was charged after being intercepted at 1.45pm on Monday during the event at Barunah Plains, west of Geelong.
It comes after a festival reveller was taken to hospital on Sunday after suffering a drug overdose.
Pill-testing is being trialled for the first time in Victoria at Beyond the Valley.
Investigators from the Ballarat divisional response unit seized 17 MDMA pills, four grams of cocaine and other pills suspected of being drugs of dependence in Monday’s swoop.
The South Yarra man has been charged with trafficking cocaine and MDMA.
He was bailed to appear in the Geelong Magistrates’ Court on March 12.
Police said they would continue to have a highly visible presence at Beyond the Valley.
“This will include officers patrolling the festival grounds to ensure safety and security of festival-goers and deter any criminal activity or anti-social behaviour,” a statement said.
Victoria Police is aware a drug-checking place is operating at this festival.
“Under the new legislation, it is not a criminal offence to possess small amounts of illicit drugs if you are attending a drug-checking place as a client. As a result, officers will not be attending these sites unless responding to incidents requiring police attendance,” a statement said.
“Police will continue to enforce against drug offences away from the drug-checking place and seize any illicit substances. As always, police may use discretion to not enforce possession offences.”
Beyond The Valley organisers said the event had a strict zero-tolerance policy towards illicit substances.
“Anyone found supplying, consuming, or in possession of illegal substances will be evicted from the event site,” the organisers said.
“Victoria Police play a critical role in ensuring the safety and wellbeing of all patrons, and their hard work is part of a broader harm minimisation approach that underpins this festival.”
Originally published as Two men charged with dealing drugs at Beyond the Valley festival
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