How near teens came to death
SOME of the Gold Coast school teens rushed to hospital in a near-fatal drug overdose emergency were at times in induced comas and on life support.
The extremely perilous condition of some of the seven Saint Stephen’s College Year 10 boys – all 15 except one aged 14 – can be revealed as just one remains in hospital.
Three were discharged on Thursday and three more were released from Gold Coast University Hospital yesterday, Gold Coast Health said in a statement yesterday afternoon.
“One patient continues to recover in our care.”
Sources close to the schoolyard drama on Wednesday revealed one teen had been in a particularly bad way this week: “He was taken off life support but had to be put back on.”
At one stage four were in a critical condition and in induced comas in the Intensive Care Unit at Gold Coast University Hospital as anguished parents kept up bedside vigils.
Sources have told the Bulletin medical staff believe all of those involved should fully recover.
Police said yesterday they did not expect to release any toxicology results from a sample of the substance until next week.
Speculation has been rife it was sourced off the internet – even potentially the shady dark web, with college principal Jamie Dorrington telling the Gold Coast Bulletin “that’s the message I’m getting, they got it off the internet”.
A source told the Gold Coast Bulletin Russian designer drug and relaxant Phenibut was being fingered by medicos and students, but it is yet to be established.
Detective Senior Sergeant Greg Aubort said it “is certainly
OUR NUMBER ONE PRIORITY REMAINS THE HEALTH AND WELFARE OF THESE STUDENTS.
PRINCIPAL JAMIE DORRINGTON
on the radar” but wouldn’t rule anything in or out other than to say: “It’s not your classical illicit drug.”
In a school newsletter yesterday, Dr Dorrington said he had just returned from hospital and “feel much better after seeing some of the students”.
“Our number one priority remains the health and welfare of these students and our broader student body,” he said.
“All other issues are secondary and will be addressed in due course.
“It is important we all respect the privacy of these families.”
Among the shaken parents is a successful Gold Coast entrepreneur and a college teacher.
Police have revealed the seven students took quantities ranging from a “taste” to a “significant amount”.
Meanwhile, police targeting the online drug trade in Queensland are warning people who purchase drugs online are running a big risk.
“We’ve had many instances, and the unfortunate one on the Gold Coast is another one, where people are purchasing substances online or from overseas suppliers, and it’s our position that it is extremely dangerous and people should avoid it,” Border Force regional commander Terry Price said.
In a separate case, police on Thursday seized packages of cannabis, methylamphetamine and a variety of performance-enhancing drugs in the ninth operation of its kind since May last year.
That drug bust was the result of police, Australian Border Force and Australia Post jointly targeting distribution of drugs via mail and online.
Since Operation Direct began, police have seized more than $700,000 worth of dangerous drugs and have arrested five people.
– additional reporting, AAP