Police Look to See if Spiked Drinks Led to Bar Illnesses

Authorities are investigating whether four people who became ill in a bar--two of them critically--had downed drinks spiked with a designer street drug, Huntington Beach police said Sunday.

Three people, including a Covina woman, became unconscious and another complained of dizziness and an upset stomach Saturday night after having drinks at the Rhino Room, Lt. Dan Johnson said. Three of the victims knew each other.

“None of our victims admits to using any drugs, and none knows whether their drinks were spiked,” Johnson said. “At some point, all their drinks were left unattended.”

Rhino Room management could not be reached for comment Sunday. At Orange Coast Memorial Medical Center in Fountain Valley, urine tests on two of the victims--both of whom had extreme trouble breathing--showed the presence of an illegal drug known as Scoop, or gamma hydroxybutyric acid, Dr. Kim Linares said.

The liquid drug, which is odorless and tasteless, is known for its purported aphrodisiac and hallucinogenic properties, said Dr. Lee Cantrell of the Los Angeles Regional Drug and Poison Information Center. Scoop has been linked to more than 30 incidents of illness in several states and is sometimes likened to Rohypnol, the so-called date-rape drug.

Gabriela Santucci, 22, of Covina and Monika Taylor, 26, of Huntington Beach were listed in critical but stable condition at Orange Coast Memorial, but were expected to recover fully, Linares said. The other two victims--a 24-year-old woman and 28-year-old man--were treated and released from local hospitals.

Police said they are not prepared to say that the drinks were spiked with Scoop or any other drug pending blood toxicology reports, which are expected this week.