Party boat men out of intensive care after ecstasy scare

A type of ecstasy pill linked to a string of overdoses might be behind adverse reactions that brought a Good Friday boat party to an end.

Dirty Funken Beats party cruise image from a previous event. (Facebook)

Dirty Funken Beats party cruise image from a previous event. (Facebook)

Four men have been moved out of intensive care after suspected drug overdoses during a party cruise on Sydney Harbour, possibly due to a dangerous strain of ecstasy pills known as "blue scissors".

The men - two 21-year-olds and a 25- and 22-year-old - collapsed on the vessel on Good Friday, forcing it to dock near the Opera House.

They were rushed to St Vincent's Hospital.

Police say their conditions were critical overnight but they are now stable.

One man is suspected of taking up to four ecstasy pills in one hit, including blue ones with scissor stamps on them, a friend told police.

Police believe at least that man, and possibly the others, had taken "blue scissor" pills, similar to those linked to overdoses in Cronulla last year.

Three men and a woman were hospitalised last November after taking the pills.

On Friday afternoon, about 800 partygoers poured off the Bella Vista boat after the party came to an end.

Police allege an officer was assaulted as people left the vessel.

Two men, 21 and 22, were charged and will appear in court this month.

Before the boat - which was hosting a "Dirty Funken Beats" party - left King Street Wharf at noon, three sniffer dogs were on hand to greet passengers.

"We are rather concerned about how the drugs came on board," Acting Superintendent Joe McNulty said.

"Instead of getting one drug dog yesterday, we went pretty firm and got three drug detection dogs there to comb the wharf, comb the area and all the participants before they boarded the boat."

Police discovered cocaine, marijuana and MDMA, Supt McNulty said.

Disgruntled passengers took to Facebook on Saturday demanding refunds from promoters.

"How bout that refund eh?" one person wrote.

Dirty Funken Beats responded: "We work hard to put on awesome parties for everyone and something happens out of our control and you want 40 bucks back.

"Not overly thoughtful but we will sort it for you."

The cruise operator was served with a short-term closure order, preventing the vessel going back on the water for 72 hours.

Supt McNulty said it was the first time such an order had been served on a Sydney Harbour party boat.


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Source: AAP


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