A woman died at a Wellington castle-like mansion after drinking GHB from a bottle, her friend says.
By Sam Sherwood of RNZ
The friend, who owns the former luxury dog retreat with a mysterious background, has spoken of the woman's battles with drug addictions.
On Friday, Inspector Wade Jennings said police had attended five incidents where people were believed to have overdosed on a substance thought to be GHB, commonly known as fantasy or liquid ecstasy.
"Sadly, one person has died in relation to this matter," Jennings said.
The woman was staying at a castle-like mansion nestled in the Wellington hills, formerly known as Woofingtons.
The owner of the property, Travis Mackay, told RNZ the woman had been staying with him at the property, which he says is now known as Wellington Castle.
Mackay said the woman had been taking the drug for years.
"She's been trying to get off it, it's really hard … she's been struggling with it."
Mackay said the woman had "tapered down" from 300ml over four days to 6ml per day.
"But yesterday she couldn't find her barrel that she would use to measure it with and after another relapse day she didn't measure her dose and took a sip from the bottle," Mackay said.
Mackay said he didn't realise that the woman had drunk from the bottle at the time.
"I thought she'd just gone to sleep."
It wasn't until later when he tried waking her that he realised something was wrong. He said they tried dragging her out of bed and giving her CPR.
"It was f…ing disgusting. It was horrible."
He said the woman found it "extremely hard" battling her drug addiction.
"It's not just a mental craving, it's a physical craving … it's really nasty."
He said the woman was "one of the strongest people I've ever met".
"She was an amazingly happy woman, always smiling and joking around … She really was trying to get away from that life and that toxic crap."
He wanted those who dealt the drugs held accountable.
The mansion is the subject of a recent TVNZ+ documentary series What the Hell Happened at Woofingtons?
Watch on TVNZ+ - What the Hell Happened at Woofingtons?
The property was raided by police in 2019, with allegations of drugs, bombs and an armed burglary, though only one person charged was a staffer who was sentenced to community detention for possession of black powder in a pyrotechnic device.
Jennings said on Friday that three others remained in hospital, and one other person had been treated and discharged from medical care.
"These incidents have occurred across the district, from Miramar, Brooklyn, Johnsonville, and Upper Hutt.
"An investigation is underway and police are treating the matter as a priority given the risk to the public."
Jennings said police were urging the public to exercise caution, and anyone who may have this type of substance are urged not to consume it.
"If you, or someone you know, are feeling unwell, please go to your nearest healthcare provider urgently."
Nearly half of GHB fake
The Drug Foundation warned that nearly half of GHB tested was not what a person thought it was.
Between January and March, 46% was not what the person expected, executive director Sarah Helm told RNZ.
Helm urged anyone intending to consume the drug to get it tested first.
She said the Drug Foundation had seen an uptake in the drug throughout New Zealand "for a wee while now".
The main concern was that it was very hard to tell which G substance a person had, Helm added.
"They're very potent, very easy to overdose on," she said.
Helm also urged anyone intending to consume the drug to be very careful not to consume it with others, particularly alcohol and other depressants.
"It can slow your body down, and then your body can begin to shut down."
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