Latest news with #drugrelated
The Independent
19-07-2025
- The Independent
Woman dies at Tomorrowland after falling unwell
A 35-year-old Canadian woman died at the Tomorrowland festival in Belgium after becoming unwell on Friday night. Prosecutors in Antwerp are investigating her death, with initial findings indicating strong evidence of a drug-related cause. Emergency services attempted to resuscitate the woman at the festival grounds before she was transferred to hospital, where she later died. The incident occurred just days after a significant fire destroyed the festival's main stage earlier in the week. Despite the fire, organisers managed to construct an alternative main stage, allowing the festival to open two hours later than scheduled.
The Guardian
07-07-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
Ibiza's ambulance service risks collapse due to callouts to clubs, says union
The ambulance service on the Spanish island of Ibiza says it is at risk of collapse because of frequent callouts to attend to clubbers having bad experiences with recreational drugs. The local ambulance union says up to a third of emergency calls are to clubs, the largest of which has a capacity of as many as 10,000 partygoers, and are largely drug-related. It is calling on club owners to contract private ambulance services. 'It's inconceivable that businesses with an income of millions of euros a year can't provide this service which is saturating the emergency services at the expense of the local population,' the president of the local health services union, José Manuel Maroto, told 'The clubs are obliged to employ nurses and other health workers but not ambulances, the cost if which is borne by public services,' he said, adding that it was unjust that the island's 161,000 residents should receive an inferior service because of the demands of 3.6 million annual visitors. According to Maroto, only one major club, DC-10, uses a private service. The island, part of the hippy trail in the 1970s, has been a mecca for clubbers since the early 1980s. The pioneering clubs were Amnesia and Pacha, but dozens have sprung up since, making the dance scene – and the drugs that fuel it – a major part of Ibiza's tourism industry. The Hollywood star Will Smith was at the inauguration last month of UNVRS, the island's biggest club, where the cheapest entry is €100 (£86) and a drink can cost €25. According to the regional government, tourists to the island spend €1.5 of every €10 on the dancefloor, but many clubbers complain the scene is now all about money and big-name DJs who command enormous appearance fees. A study by the local paper El Diario de Ibiza found that the island is the third most expensive destination in the Mediterranean after Saint-Tropez and Capri. Much of the money goes to a company founded by the former footballer and politician Abel Matutes. Sign up to This is Europe The most pressing stories and debates for Europeans – from identity to economics to the environment after newsletter promotion The Matutes family, the most powerful on Ibiza, as well as owning numerous hotels in Spain, Mexico and the US, owns three of the island's biggest party venues, Ushuaïa, Hï Ibiza and UNVRS. Drugs are a major part of the informal economy and large busts are common. More than a million MDMA doses were recovered in a single raid last year. A study published in European Psychiatry found that there were 58 drug-related deaths on Ibiza between 2010 and 2016 with the largest proportion (36%) being young Britons.
The Guardian
06-07-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
Ibiza's ambulance service risks collapse due to callouts to clubs, says union
The ambulance service on the Spanish island of Ibiza says it is at risk of collapse because of frequent callouts to attend to clubbers having bad experiences with recreational drugs. The local ambulance union says up to a third of emergency calls are to clubs, the largest of which has a capacity of up to 10,000 partygoers, and are largely drug-related. It is calling on club owners to contract private ambulance services. 'It's inconceivable that businesses with an income of millions of euros a year can't provide this service which is saturating the emergency services at the expense of the local population,' José Manuel Maroto, president of the local health services union, told 'The clubs are obliged to employ nurses and other health workers but not ambulances, the cost if which is borne by public services,' Maroto said, adding that was unjust that the island's 161,000 residents should receive an inferior service due to the demands of the 3.6 million annual visitors. According to Maroto, only one major club, DC-10, uses a private service. The island, part of the hippy trail in the 1970s, has been a mecca for clubbers since the early 1980s. The pioneering clubs were Amnesia and Pacha but dozens have sprung up since, making the dance scene – and the drugs that fuel it – a major part of Ibiza's tourism industry. Last month the Hollywood star Will Smith was at the inauguration of UNVRS, the island's biggest club, where the cheapest entry is €100 (£86) and a drink cancost €25. According to the regional government, tourists to the island spend €1.5 of every €10 on the dancefloor, but many clubbers complain the scene is now all about money and big-name DJs who command enormous appearance fees. A study by the local paper El Diario de Ibiza found that the island is the third most expensive destination in the Mediterranean, after Saint-Tropez and Capri. Much of this money goes to a company founded by the former footballer Abel Matutes. Sign up to This is Europe The most pressing stories and debates for Europeans – from identity to economics to the environment after newsletter promotion The Matutes family, the most powerful on Ibiza, as well as owning numerous hotels in Spain, Mexico and the US, owns three of the island's biggest party venues, Ushuaïa, Hï Ibiza and now UNVRS. Drugs are a major part of the informal economy and large drug busts are common, with over a million MDMA doses recovered in a single raid last year. A study published in European Psychiatry found that there were 58 drug-related deaths on Ibiza between 2010 and 2016 with the largest proportion (36%) being young Britons.
The Independent
04-07-2025
- The Independent
Teenager who stabbed 13-year-old to death handed eight-year minimum term
A youth convicted of stabbing to death a 13-year-old boy during a drug-related row has been handed a life sentence with a minimum term of eight-and-a-half years. The teenager, who cannot be identified after a judge ruled that his welfare and prospects of rehabilitation outweigh the public interest in naming him, was convicted in April by a majority verdict of murdering Jahziah Coke, who suffered a six-inch deep chest wound. Passing sentence at Wolverhampton Crown Court, Mrs Justice Tipples told the defendant that she was sure he had 'intended to kill' Jahziah after pushing or moving a knife around his neck. She told the boy: 'When you killed Jahziah, he was only 13 and a child with everything in life ahead of him. This was a nasty and violent attack.' During her sentencing remarks, the judge accepted that the weapon used in the killing belonged to Jahziah and was taken from him by his killer at an address in Oldbury, West Midlands, in August last year. The defendant, who denied deliberately inflicting any injuries, fled over fences and then caught a bus to a friend's house to play video games in the hours after the killing, his trial heard. He also told the jury during his evidence in March that he was left traumatised after grabbing Jahziah's hands while being threatened with a knife, which he twisted towards the floor during an attempt to calm down an argument about a 'missing' quantity of cannabis. He also told jurors he did not have the knife in his own hands and had dialled 999 to summon paramedics, only leaving the property once he believed Jahziah was dead. During the sentencing hearing on Friday, Mrs Justice Tipples accepted that there was no premeditation, but ruled that the defendant was not acting in self-defence and that his actions were 'completely out of proportion' to the possible threat he faced. Prior to sentence, the defendant's lawyer, Paul Lewis KC, told the court during mitigation: 'The evidence at the trial was that (the defendant) has never had a knife, has never carried a knife and had never been seen with a knife. 'I am sorry to say it but that was not the position vis-a-vis the deceased. 'It was accepted from the very beginning by the Crown that the knife used in this case was not (the defendant's).' In a statement issued following the case, Emily Clewer, a senior crown prosecutor at the West Midlands Crown Prosecution Service, said: 'This is a deeply tragic case where Jahziah Coke lost his life and entire future senselessly to knife violence. 'Jahziah Coke's family and loved ones have suffered unimaginable pain and loss, and our thoughts are with them as they deal with the aftermath of this tragedy. 'The teenager responsible for this murder will now face the consequences of his actions in ways that will irrevocably change the trajectory of his life. 'While today's sentencing cannot undo the awful events that transpired that day, we hope it sends a strong message about the devastating impact of knife crime and how it can destroy lives, families and futures. 'There are no excuses for carrying or using knives to harm and kill, and the CPS will continue to work tirelessly with the police and partners to tackle knife crime and bring offenders to justice.'
The Independent
10-06-2025
- The Independent
Three linked deaths prompt mystery pill warning
The deaths of three men in Plymouth are linked and believed to be drug -related, prompting a police investigation. Two men in their 20s and 30s were found dead at a property on Welbeck Avenue on Saturday, while a third man in his 30s was found dead at a property on North Road East on Sunday. Detective Inspector Michelle Dunn stated that the deaths are believed to be drug -related and are being treated as unexplained. A drug charity in Plymouth, Harbour, issued a warning about blue pills being sold as Valium, advising people not to consume them. Harbour urged people to carry Naloxone, an emergency antidote for overdoses, and advised against using the pills alone, recommending using them with a trusted friend who can call for help. Warning after mystery blue pills linked to three deaths in Devon
