A man has been charged with manslaughter following the death of another man at a festival in northern New South Wales, after a ceremony involving the hallucinogens ayahuasca and the poison kambo. Jarrad Antonovich, 45, collapsed at the Dreaming Arts Festival near Kyogle on October 17, 2021, and died at the scene.
Manslaughter Charge in Ayahuasca, Kambo Death
Police arrested a 52-year-old man in Coorabell on Tuesday and charged him with manslaughter. Authorities allege the man supplied Mr. Antonovich with ayahuasca while hosting a retreat and delayed seeking medical help when Mr. Antonovich’s condition worsened.
A NSW Coronial inquest in 2024 determined Mr. Antonovich died from a perforated oesophagus. The inquest investigated whether excessive vomiting, often associated with ayahuasca and kambo ceremonies, contributed to the injury.
Police stated Mr. Antonovich had consumed the prohibited substances, kambo and ayahuasca. Kambo is a poison harvested from the back of an Amazonian tree frog and used in South American purging rituals. It was classified as a prohibited substance in Australia in 2021.
The Kambo frog is used for medicinal purposes in South America, but health authorities warn of (Facebook: Viva Kambo)
Ayahuasca is a vine native to South America that is brewed into a powerful hallucinogen. It was banned in Australia in 2022.
The man charged with manslaughter was granted bail and is scheduled to appear in Lismore Local Court on Monday, March 30.
The death of Mr. Antonovich was the subject of a NSW Coronial Inquiry, which was suspended in May 2024 after the coroner found sufficient evidence to refer the matter to the Director of Public Prosecutions for criminal charges.
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