Wee Jasper was a hotspot for illegal drugs at the weekend, as police targeted people attending the Dragon Dreaming Festival.
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The event drew around 3000 people to the area between Friday and Monday, but with them, also came a host of police officers.
A total of 74 people were found in possession of illegal drugs including cannabis, ecstasy, heroin, crystal methamphetamine (ice) and magic mushrooms. Two people were arrested for drug supply and numerous others for possession.
The numbers are astonishing considering it was reported that just six people were charged with drug offences at the same event last year.
Despite the statistics, event organiser Shane Russell said he was more than happy with how the festival went, which featured more than 100 musical acts and around 30 other types of performers.
“We were extremely happy with the attendance and in addition to that we had no major issues or incidents on site,” he said.
“Our medical guys dealt mainly with cuts and scratches and we didn’t have any incidents of drug overdoses which was good because at some of the other festivals I manage we have to deal with that.”
Along with their presence at the festival, police ran a drug-driving operation targeting motorists leaving the event.
Twelve drivers underwent random drug tests, with two being arrested after allegedly testing positive to illegal drugs. Their samples have been sent for further analysis.
Inspector Evan Quarmby from The Hume Local Area Command said for the size of the crowd, it was disappointing to see so many people caught with illicit drugs.
“Police were kept busy during the festival, with 17 people found with prohibited drugs in the first two hours of the operation,” he said.
“To end up with 74 drug detections is a major concern and police will work closely with festival organisers to ensure future events are safe for everyone attending.
“The efforts of police in detecting these drugs are highly commendable but we need people attending these events to think about the dangers and conduct themselves responsibly and within the law.”
Mr Russell said he also wanted to work on the festival’s relationship with police.
“As I discussed with the inspector who was on site on Sunday, I really want to develop a better working relationship with the police so we can actually manage these things jointly.”
But Mr Russell said the size of the road operation conducted just outside the festival was upsetting.
“We’ve been getting lots of positive feedback from patrons and I think everybody had a really good time and apart from the disappointment over the size of the road operation, we really can’t fault the weekend.”
Yass Police Sergeant Ron King told the Tribune that despite the drug offences, there were no significant incidents reported to police within Wee Jasper or the festival grounds.