It has been almost a year since Olivia Rotundo and Jeffrey Russ (pictured above) tragically passed away during Electric Zoo 2013, but DEA agents have finally found and charged the drug dealer responsible for one of the transactions.
According to The New York Times, Patrick Morgan, 23, was arrested last week in Buffalo, NY, on charges of narcotics distribution and narcotics conspiracy, after selling about 80 pills of MDMA to Jeffrey Russ and his friends for over $1,000. It is believed that the capsules contained a mixture of molly and methylone, which caused Russ’s body temperature to spike to 108 degrees before collapsing at the EDM festival.
An unnamed friend of Jeffrey Russ, who had purchased the drugs with Russ, cooperated with the DEA and wore a concealed wire to a meeting with Morgan. According to court documents, the unnamed friend sent the following text message to Patrick Morgan after their meeting.
“Hey it was great to see you last week. Glad we got to talk about Jeff a little it was bugging me. Just know that I no longer blame us for giving the molly to him because it was him that made the mistake of taking too much.”
The accused has since been released on a $100,000 signature bond after appearing in Federal court.
Despite the deaths, which caused the early cancelation of last year’s festival, Electric Zoo 2014 will kick off at the end of this month on Randall’s Island in New York City. Extra security measures will be enforced at theis year’s events. Be weary of the extra measures taken this year; stay safe and watch out for one another.
-Marisa Frydman (@musicalmarisa)