Friday, March 23, 2007

Newsflash: Drugs Found At Langerado

SUNRISE, FL (AP) -- Authorities are vowing to beef up enforcement at a popular three-day South Florida music festival after "flagrant" drug and alcohol violations led to 216 arrests. Drugs were used and sold in front of uniformed officers at the Langerado Music Festival last weekend, said Capt. Carol Owsiany of the state division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco.

"The deals were going down in front of them to the point that all they had to do was just turn around and make the arrests," Owsiany said. Most of the arrests were for misdemeanor possession of marijuana or underage drinking. She said additional agents could have made many more arrests.

About 15,000 people attended the festival. Festival organizers attributed the problems to a small group of troublemakers. "Unfortunately, a handful of people, many of whom did not have tickets to the event, chose to break the law and were either ticketed or arrested," festival co-founder Ethan Schwartz said in a written statement. "Langerado organizers are already working with the City of Sunrise, Broward County and the State of Florida to ensure that the festival remains the safe environment it has been since its inception."

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