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Heightened security at Boston concert after 'Molly' overdoses

BOSTON (MyFoxBoston.com) -- Organizers of a popular outdoor music festival in Boston made some security changes for the two-day event after several recent drug overdoses.

Attendees at "Boston Calling" were asked to bring clear plastic bags in lieu of backpacks following reported overdoses and subsequent arrests related to the club drug "Molly." The Boston Public Health Commission also handed out flyers about the dangers of drugs and concert goers entered and exited through one gate where they had to clear a security checkpoint.

The increase in security comes after police in Quincy announced last week they arrested eight people and were seeking three additional complaints in connection to the alleged distribution of drugs at the Ocean Club in Marina Bay. Investigators say emergency crews responded to 12 overdoses at the club this summer, most associated with Molly, which is a pure form of an ingredient found in Ecstasy.

Last week, one teenager died and two others were hospitalized from apparent overdoses at the House of Blues in Boston. Investigators believe a University of New Hampshire student, Olivia Rotondo, of Providence, R.I., died after overdosing on "Molly" while attending the Electric Zoo music festival in New York City last weekend.

The surge in overdoses prompted officials to cancel several events in the region, including a Sept. 20 event at the Ocean Club and a Barstool Blackout Tour concert scheduled for Sept. 28 in Manchester, N.H.

Boston Calling organizers began their two-day concert, featuring big names such as Vampire Weekend and Kendrick Lamar, as scheduled Saturday. They expected nearly 15,000 to attend the music festival.