The father of a man who died from a suspected drug overdose at a music festival has desperately urged organisers of a similar festival to call it off, as figures reveal ecstasy is rampant at dance festivals.

Joseph Pham, 23, collapsed after a suspected drug overdose at the Defqon. 1 music festival in Penrith, in Sydney’s west on September 15. 

Following the young reveller’s death, his father, Cong, is begging for a similar Sydney musical festival to be shut down.

Joseph Pham, 23, collapsed after a suspected drug overdose at the Defqon. 1 music festival in Penrith, in Sydney's west on September 15.

Joseph Pham, 23, collapsed after a suspected drug overdose at the Defqon. 1 music festival in Penrith, in Sydney's west on September 15.

Joseph Pham (pictured), from Edensor Park, was one of four revellers who collapsed at Defqon. 1 music festival in Penrith, in Sydney’s west

Following the young reveller's death, his father, Cong, is begging for a similar Sydney musical festival to be shut down

Following the young reveller's death, his father, Cong, is begging for a similar Sydney musical festival to be shut down

Following the young reveller’s death, his father, Cong, is begging for a similar Sydney musical festival to be shut down

He told The Daily Telegraph that crowd control doesn’t work unless the raves are locked down like ‘an airport’.  

‘I don’t want this weekend’s Listen Out festival to go ahead, please stop it,’ the grieving father said.

The 23-year-old’s parents still haven’t been told by the coroner what caused their son’s death.

With another festival coming up this weekend, the pair are dreading the idea of waking up to news that a young person has met the same fate as their son.

‘We will never be the same again. My wife is in so much pain. It’s time to stop Defqon and big festivals — they’re magnets to drug dealers,’ Mr Cong said.

More than 35,000 people have plans to attend Listen Out in Sydney’s Centennial Parklands on Saturday, and police have issued warnings.

On Thursday, NSW Police Commissioner, Mick Fuller, warned the festival would see a ‘strong presence’ of police and drug-detection dogs.

NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research has shown that dance music event locations have more than four times the amount of ecstasy as nightlife districts

NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research has shown that dance music event locations have more than four times the amount of ecstasy as nightlife districts

NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research has shown that dance music event locations have more than four times the amount of ecstasy as nightlife districts

‘Anyone thinking of taking drugs, consider this — you wouldn’t drink backyard chemicals, why would you swallow them in pill form?’ Mr Fuller said.  

It has since been revealed that dance events such as Defqon. 1 have four times the amount of ecstasy-related arrests than nightlife areas.

The state government has aims to crack down following the fatal overdoses earlier this month. 

 

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