A 28-year-old man faces drug trafficking charges at a festival with Victoria’s first mobile pill testing service
Barunah Plains: So, there was this music festival in Victoria where a guy got charged with drug trafficking. It’s actually the first time the state is trying out a mobile pill testing service.
Police caught up with a 28-year-old from South Yarra at the Beyond the Valley festival on Monday. They searched him and found 17 MDMA pills, four grams of cocaine, and a few other pills that are likely illegal.
He’s been charged with trafficking both cocaine and MDMA. He’s out on bail and has to show up in court in Geelong come March.
This festival is a big deal because it’s the first one to have this pill-testing service as part of an 18-month trial by the government. They’re planning to run it through the summer festival season.
The mobile testing is all about keeping it confidential and anonymous, giving festival-goers personalized info about what they might be taking.
They’re aiming to set up this service at ten different festivals across the state, making it the largest pill-testing trial in Australia.
Victoria Police mentioned they’ll be keeping a close eye on things at the festival. They know about the drug-checking service but are still going to crack down on drug offenses outside of that area.
They said that under the new rules, if you’re at a drug-checking place, having a small amount of illegal drugs isn’t a crime. So, police won’t be hanging around those spots unless something serious happens.
