Police sniffer dogs nab dozens with drugs at Stereosonic music festival - The Age

Police at Stereosonic music festival at Melbourne Showgrounds. Photo: Paul Jeffers

Police have caught more than 70 people with drugs at Melbourne music festival Stereosonic.

Revelers were greeted with sniffer dogs as they entered the Melbourne Showgrounds. Most of those detected were found with ecstasy.

Detective Senior Sergeant Mark Pilkington said police had increased the number of searches and patrols after teenager Georgina Bartter died taking ecstasy at Sydney's Habourlife Festival just weeks ago.

'Depending what's in it, clearly it can kill you, which has happened in the past,' he said.

'(Drugs) are made by criminals and you have no idea what's in them, so we're just trying to aim at harm minimisation.'

Towards the end of the festival on Sunday afternoon, 72 people had been caught with drugs, including LSD, ice and cannabis.

Last year there were 139 drug arrests for the eintire weekend.

Detective Senior Sergeant Pilkington put the drop in numbers of arrests down to the increased police presence.

Otherwise, he said the crowd had been well behaved, with one person arrested for being drunk.

Festival-goers appeared unconcerned with the sniffer dogs as they braved the rain and cool conditions in shorts and singlets.

Anna Martorell, 20, from Barcelona said she planned to drink alcohol instead of taking drugs. 'It's alright, I don't have anything to hide, so whatever,' she said. 'It's normal, you don't want drugs to get in the festival. It's safe that way.'

Leo Otene, 24, who travelled from Perth to attend the festival, said he came for the music. 'You expect that [sniffer dogs] at every festival, at least the ones I've been to,' he said. 'I don't mind. I don't do drugs.'

Entities 0 Name: Melbourne Showgrounds Count: 2 1 Name: Georgina Bartter Count: 1 2 Name: Leo Otene Count: 1 3 Name: Barcelona Count: 1 4 Name: Mark Pilkington Count: 1 5 Name: Melbourne Count: 1 6 Name: Perth Count: 1 7 Name: Sydney Count: 1 8 Name: Paul Jeffers Count: 1 9 Name: Pilkington Count: 1 10 Name: Anna Martorell Count: 1 Related 0 Url: http://ift.tt/1vXPSYd Title: Australian cop's daughter Kalynda Davis and Peter Gardner may face firing squad in China for alleged crime Description: UP to nine Australians now face the prospect of being executed by firing squads in China prisons for drug offences, following the arrests of Sydneysiders Kalynda Davis, 22, and Peter Gardner, 25 in the southern metropolis of Guangzhou.