“Festival medics have confirmed there is no evidence of attendees being injected,” a festival organiser told the Herald.
“An injection of the nature described would require a visible puncture site and associated tissue trauma.
“In the case of intravenous administration would also require a person to be restrained, none of which has been observed.”
Festival organisers also said the on-site medical team had not treated any patients with puncture wounds or injection-related injuries.
“New Zealand Police have assessed the reports and consider them unsubstantiated rumours.”
Police confirmed to the Herald rumours of alleged needle spiking were not substantiated.
“One person was treated for a suspected overdose, but there have been no deaths reported.”
Rumours of “needle spiking” – where people report being injected with drugs without their consent, often at festivals or clubs – have swept the globe since 2021.
There are few confirmed cases, with UK police calling it “rare”.
“It’s almost impossible to inject drugs into someone’s body without them noticing it,” London’s Metropolitan Police say on their site.
“Injecting an amount that would cause a victim to be affected by it would take a lot more than a quick jab.”
They do note: “That does not mean that needle spiking does not take place.”
The annual festival at Raglan’s Wainui Reserve is celebrating its 25th anniversary this weekend.
Police are expecting an extra 8000 people to be in the area for the event.
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