WA: 10 charged with music festival drug offences despite amnesty
09 Mar 2009 4:58 PM
Ten people were charged with drug possession despite the use of drug disposal bins at a Perth music festival.
In an Australian first .. WA Police placed the bins outside the Rock-It music festival in Joondalup yesterday.
The move followed the death of 17-year-old Perth girl GEMMA THOMS .. who died after taking three ecstasy pills before the Big Day Out on February 2.
Ms THOMS' friends said she swallowed the pills before entering the festival gates because she was afraid of being caught by police.
WA Police Commissioner KARL O'CALLAGHAN decided to trial drug disposal bins at Rock-It to give patrons a chance to dispose of drugs before being checked by police and drug detection dogs.
Police found very small amounts of cannabis and pills .. believed to be amphetamine and ecstasy .. in the bins .. which will be trialled at future music festivals.
