WA man dies at Bass Canyon from suspected drug poisoning
GRANT COUNTY, Wash. - A 27-year-old man from Olympia, WA, died on Sunday during the Bass Canyon Music Festival at the Gorge Amphitheater after ingesting drugs that he purchased from someone else at the event, according to the Grant County Sheriff's Office.
Following an investigation and an undercover operation, deputies arrested a 28-year-old man from Seattle, who is now accused of delivery of a controlled substance and multiple counts of drug possession.
What we know:
Deputies say they learned of the 27-year-old man's death during the festival and spoke with his friends to learn more about how he purchased the drugs.
His friends told the agency's Interagency Narcotics Enforcement Team that they noticed he had gotten sick after taking the drugs and later died at the venue's medical facility.
Detectives began their investigation and managed to identify the suspect who sold the drugs as the previously mentioned 28-year-old man.
After identifying him, detectives say they conducted an undercover operation, which led to them buying drugs from him.
Upon completing the transaction, deputies arrested the suspected dealer and accused him of the following:
- One count of delivery of a controlled substance
- Three counts (one for each drug) of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute
The alleged drugs found in the suspected dealer's possession were cocaine, ketamine, and MDMA, the sheriff's office said.
What they're saying:
The Grant County Sheriff's Office thanked multiple agencies for their involvement in the arrest.
"This investigation involved Yakima County’s Law Enforcement Against Drugs Task Force, Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the Washington State Patrol Cannabis Enforcement Response Team, and the Grant County Sheriff’s Office. Concert venue operator Live Nation provided vital assistance to INET during the investigation," the sheriff's office said.
Deputies also said the arrest is indicative of the "nation's drug crisis."
In a social media post about the arrest, the sheriff's office wrote, "More than 1 million Americans died from drug overdoses between 2000 and 2022, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. By comparison, U.S. military deaths from the Vietnam War, Persian Gulf War and post-9/11 combat operations combined represent only a fraction of that number."
What's next:
Deputies said that the case is being investigated as a suspected controlled substance homicide.
The Grant County Coroner's Office will be performing an autopsy on the man who died sometime this week, the sheriff's office said.
The Source: Information for this story came from the Grant County Sheriff's Office.
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