Sydney’s Field Day music festival on New Year’s Day saw 169 people arrested by police on drug-related charges.
Of the 169 arrests, 167 of those were for possession, and just two for supply.
In an official statement, Police NSW revealed that a high-visibility operation was in place for the duration of the 2020 festival.
It included officers from Central Metropolitan Region, the Dog Unit, Licensing Police, and Police Transport Command, and was led by the Redfern Region Enforcement Squad (RES).
Those arrested included a 19-year-old man who was charged after being found with 3.4 grams of MDMA in his underwear. He is due to appear in local court on March 11.
The police statement also revealed that 10 Criminal Infringement Notices were issued to people for failing to quit licensed premises and offensive behaviour.
35 punters were ejected from the festival for being too intoxicated, 36 received move-on directions and one Youth Caution was issued by police.
The festival was one of the first to adopt new government measures of having drug amnesty bins available for punters to get rid of any drugs upon arrival without repercussions.
The bins were a recommendation of Deputy State Coronor Harriet Grahame, after an inquest into several drug-related deaths at NSW festivals over last summer.
27,000 people attended Field Day 2020, and the number of arrests was up on last year, when 155 drug-related arrests were made.
