NO DRUGS TIP-OFF BEFORE FATAL RAVE

There was no undercover investigation into illicit drug dealing at a dance
party where a man died at the weekend because police were not told drugs
would be available, police said yesterday.

The Georges River region commander and police spokesman on youth issues,
Commander Ike Ellis, said that without intelligence it was not appropriate
to deploy specialist resources, despite assumptions drugs would be used at
the Happy Valley Full Moon Festival.

About 6,000 people attended the three-day festival at Cataract Scout Camp
near Campbelltown where the 26-year-old Ryde man died after taking a
cocktail of drugs.

Ten other people were taken to hospital with suspected overdoses.

"The policing effort here was in accordance to the intelligence given,"
Commander Ellis said. "There was no indication to us that there was
anything untoward there."

He said that in hindsight police would look more closely at similar parties
but denied they got it wrong or lacked resources.

"If people were aware they knew that someone was going to this party who
was in possession of drugs we would be very happy to know about that in
advance so we could take the appropriate action."

He refused to say if action would be taken against organisers, Mr Ming
Darcy and Mr Abel el Toro, because the matter was under investigation.

He said organisers met police and Wollondilly Shire Council before the
event and followed dance party guidelines which cover security, amenities,
parking, liquor licensing, and transport.

Scout Australia NSW owns the venue and hired it to the festival organisers,
said the branch chief executive officer, Mr Peter Olah. He said: "We are
distressed about the use of drugs on our campsite. We will be reviewing our
hiring procedures in future."

Wollondilly Council's director of development and environment, Mr John
Gilbert, said that if dance parties were banned from suitable venues such
as Cataract Scout Park there was a risk they would go to unsafe venues
without basic amenities and supervision.

"Dance parties are innocent," Mr Gilbert said. "The problem is drugs are
often found there."

The Opposition Leader, Mrs Chikarovski, said police numbers should be
increased and all dance party patrons searched before entering venues.

"It's clear from what police have said that there were a lot of drugs
available at that party," she said.

"We need better searching of the people who attend and we need a much more
visible police presence so that we may deter these people who are peddling
drugs at these parties."