Electric Zoo, a popular New York City music festival, was canceled on Sunday after two concert attendees overdosed while using the drug Molly, Fox News reported.
Molly is considered to b a "pure" form of the methamphetamine derivative MDMA, which is often mixed with other substances to create ecstasy, a drug which has been linked to a growing number of deaths in the U.S. This, despite the fact that it has not been seen as a casual 'street drug,' but one used at parties and rave concerts,, like the Electric Zoo.
New information on Tuesday suggested that Mike Bindra, the founder of the music festival, once ran a Manhattan nightclub n the Chelsea neighborhood, which closed after accusations of rampant Ecstasy use.
Bindra had been the general manager of Twilo, one of New York City's most popular dance clubs, which became a target of law enforcement agencies during Mayor Rudy Guiliani's administration, DNAInfo reported.
Bindra and his wife Laura De Palma created Electric Zoo as an annual Labor Day weekend concert at Randall's Island.
In addition to the two drug overdose deaths of 23-year-old Jeffrey Russ and 21-year-old Olivia Rotondo, 31 arrests were made on Saturday, and a claim by a 16-year-old that she was sexually assaulted, police said.
Possession of drugs and disorderly conduct were rampant at the club throughout the three-day-event, causing the festival to close a day ahead of schedule.
Electric Zoo has been running for five years, and this year featured shows on five different stages at the island.
