Police investigate link between drug laboratory and deadly Defqon.1 pill
Police are looking at a potential connection between the laboratory in Mount Hunter and the Defqon.1 drugs. Photo: NSW Police
Police are investigating if the “filthy” drug laboratory raided last week in a $5.2 million bust is behind the deadly pills that killed two people at Defqon.1 music festival.
Joseph Pham, 23, and Diana Nguyen, 21, collapsed at the Sydney festival in September and died. Another 11 people were taken to hospital with a “significant’ amount of prohibited drugs in their system.
NSW Police Acting State Crime Commander Stuart Smith on Sunday said they may be linked to a laboratory at Mount Hunter, south-west Sydney, that was raided last week.
“There were a number of dye stamps secured from this particular clandestine lab,” he said.
“One of them was a triangle shape. Prohibited drugs seized at Defqon.1 included a triangle pill. In terms of the kids that went to hospital, who overdosed, we certainly found this parent chemical present in their systems.
“These chemicals are not meant for the human body.”
Acting Commander Smith believes the 39-year-old man didn’t act alone as the lab was “pushing out pills every second” and was “so sophisticated” in its operation.
He said the lab was set up at an industrial size and allegedly manufactured tablets for the dance party season and nightclub scene.
“This is a filthy, dirty premises. It is a grubby lab.”
NSW Police earlier said detectives had dismantled a large-scale clandestine laboratory and seized $5.2 million worth of prohibited drugs last week.
They seized 21 kilograms of MDMA powder and pills, 28 litres of GHB, 13.5 kilograms of precursors, a substance believed to be cocaine, methylamphetamine, ammunition, and equipment used to make drugs.
A 39-year-old man was charged with offences including large commercial drug manufacture and large commercial drug supply.
He was refused bail and will appear in Campbelltown Local Court in December.
Acting Commander Smith said there had been a 47 per cent increase in drug laboratories being found and dismantled over the past financial year.
“There is no quality control in illicit substances and the community should be aware that there is no way of knowing what you are ingesting and how it will affect you.
“We will continue to dismantle and disrupt these criminal drug enterprises and stop this poison from hitting our streets.”
Police are also investigating potential links between the property and another alleged laboratory at Menangle that was raided in May.
There, police seized 1.4 kilograms of prohibited drugs and equipment.
-with AAP