A young Sydney banker took a combination of LSD and MDMA, according to a friend who was with him the night he died of a suspected overdose at a music festival.
Kieran Ngo, 26, died after attending the Transmission Festival held at the Sydney Showground on Saturday night.
But a friend who was with him at the festival exclusively told The Daily Telegraph that Mr Ngo was not a regular drug user but had taken approximately five MDMA pills during the event.
“He wasn’t a reckless guy … no way did he think this could cause him to die. It was just meant to be fun,” the friend said.
“I don’t want you making out like he was a big drug user because he wasn’t at all … we don’t even know definitely that’s why he died.”
The friend told the publication Mr Ngo, who worked as a senior lending associate at Commonwealth Bank, had taken LSD – or acid – while having a few drinks with friends before the festival.
Twelve other individuals were also taken to the hospital for suspected drug overdoses, while 130 others received medical attention for conditions related to drug use and heat exhaustion.
Mr Ngo was pronounced dead at Bankstown Hospital in the early hours of Sunday morning.
On Tuesday, an attendee of Transmission detailed concerns over the conditions of the festival.
“I went along [to the festival] on Saturday night, and I’m not surprised. Security on entry was a joke,” they told Ben Fordham’s 2GB Breakfast show.
“Inside was bloody hot – and only those lucky people with hand fans were able to stay cool inside.
“Bottles of water were extortionate … charging $5 or more. I don’t think there were enough police on hand. At about 9pm, I saw ambulance paramedics rushing someone out.”
Fordham took aim at the irony of signage at the festival which stated: “Don’t push your limits, be responsible.”
“People who go to these festivals pay eye-watering amounts of money,” Fordham said.
“This particular one, they charge between $144 to $270 a ticket, and event organisers make a motza out of alcohol.
“The least they can do is provide free water. They should be forced to do so.”
According to NSW Police, Mr Ngo’s death is still being investigated, and a potential drug overdose is being considered as the cause.
Paul Dillon from Drug and Alcohol Research and Training Australia said that Mr Ngo’s reported consumption of five MDMA pills was a large dose.
“Many people think you can’t die from MDMA, and you can,” Mr Dillon told The Daily Telegraph.
“But it’s hard to quantify … Someone can take one pill and die, then someone else might take a lot more and be OK. Everyone is very different.”
Mr Ngo’s friends and colleagues have been shocked and saddened by his death.
His employer CommBank released a statement expressing their condolences to Mr Ngo’s family and friends, describing him as a “well-liked member of our team”.
Six men were charged with drug supply offences in relation to the festival, including a 23-year-old man from Oran Park who was found in possession of 253 MDMA tablets and was charged with supplying a prohibited drug.
He was refused bail at Parramatta Bail Court on Sunday.
A 21-year-old man from Fairfield West was also charged with supplying a prohibited drug and possessing a prohibited drug after he was allegedly found in possession of 149 MDMA tablets.
He was granted strict conditional bail to appear at Burwood Local Court on Thursday.
The other four men were issued Court Attendance Notices for supplying a prohibited drug and are due to appear in court at a later date.