2 DEATHS SPUR PROBE OF PARTY

Illegal Drugs Suspected at New Year's Eve Event

Daly City detectives on Thursday were investigating the deadly wake of
a New Year's Eve rave-style party at the Cow Palace after two men who
attended the party died of possible drug overdoses.

Police said several others were sickened, including a 15-year-old girl
who was hospitalized, treated and released. The two men were taken
directly to Seton Medical Center, where they were later pronounced
dead.

The San Mateo County coroner was performing autopsies on the two men
Thursday. Investigators believe both men ingested illegal drugs at the
Planet New Year Party, sponsored by Coolworld.

Deputy coroner Tom Marriscolo said the cause of death for both men is
pending and that toxicology tests would be completed in about a month.

The dead men were identified as 23-year-old Michael James Uveges of
Rohnert Park and 19-year-old Peter Hoang of Stockton.

Rave parties are renowned for their mix of music, dancing and drug use
- - particularly "ecstasy," GHB and other synthetic "club drugs."
Often, the parties are private and held in warehouses. But Planet New
Year 2003 was an organized event, held at a large well-known venue
featuring a variety of live and DJ music.

Stephanie Smiley, a spokeswoman for Coolworld, said the Oakland
production company was not aware the event was anything but a success.

But it wouldn't be the first time trouble has dogged one of the
company's popular events. A series of Coolworld rave parties was
booted from the Santa Clara County fairgrounds by officials two years
ago. Officials canceled the county contract after 20,000 people showed
up to one of Coolworld's summer dance parties that was marked by
overdoses, stabbings and fights. Coolworld later moved at least one of
the parties to Fresno.

Cow Palace operations director Bill Mendes was at the party, which he
characterized as "smoothly-operated," and attended by 10,400 people.
He said he did not hear about the deaths and illnesses until Thursday
morning.

Police are investigating what happened that night and whether any foul
play was involved. Daly City police Lt. Matt Bushong said detectives
are canvassing local hospitals for any other people who became ill.

Uveges was pronounced dead at 8 a.m. New Year's Day, and Hoang at 2:56
a.m. Thursday.

Two others from the party - including the 15-year-old girl - were
treated at the hospital, according to an official at the medical center.

San Mateo County District Attorney Jim Fox said his office has been
notified of the deaths. He said anyone who dealt drugs or passed
poisonous drugs at the event could be held criminally responsible. But
finding out who was dealing drugs that night might be a difficult
task, Fox said.

Dr. Karl Sporer, a expert on illegal drug use who teaches at the
University of California-San Francisco, said these two deaths - if
confirmed as overdoses - would be especially rare. He said the rate
of fatal or serious reactions to drugs like ecstasy is about one in
10,000.

Sporer said it's important to determine whether a new or especially
dangerous ecstasy knockoff drug - such as PMA, also known as para
methoxyamphetamine - was being passed around during the dance party.
PMA was found to cause a number of fatal overdoses in Illinois and
Florida the past two years.

Phoenix Llanes, a member of the Bay Area Chapter of DanceSafe, a
non-profit group that tries to educate ravegoers about drug issues,
said his members tried to attend the bash to distribute brochures but
were told they could not.

Llanes said illegal drugs pose an extreme health risk because the
drugs a person takes may not be the drug they think they are taking.
For example, Llanes said, a drug handed out as the popular ecstasy
pill called Blue Dolphin has sometimes turned out to be a different
and potentially more dangerous drug.

Sporer said banning raves is not the answer because that would drive
the parties further underground. But Daly City police Lt. Bushong said
that if his department had known the New Year's Eve event was anything
but a music festival, it would have pressured the Cow Palace not to
host the party.

The department asks anyone with more information about the deaths or
illnesses to call detective Gregg Oglesby at (650) 991-8098.