Laos poisoning: Chilling WhatsApp messages show teens were at bar which 'openly sells hard drugs'

Bianca Jones, who has died, and her person Holly Bowles, who is warring for her beingness successful hospital, were seen astatine Jaidee's Bar successful Vang Vieng conscionable hours earlier they fell ill

Two teenagers allegedly poisoned were astatine a barroom which openly sells hard drugs to customers, it has been claimed.

Bianca Jones has sadly died, and her person Holly Bowles is warring for her beingness successful hospital, pursuing the alleged methanol poisoning successful Laos. They were portion of a radical of different tourists, including British lawyer Simone White, who were reportedly offered escaped "Laos Tiger" vodka shots by a barroom successful Vang Vieng.

Bianca and Holly were seen astatine Jaidee's Bar successful Vang Vieng conscionable hours earlier being rushed to hospital, WhatsApp messages person revealed today. The champion friends, some aged 19, drank methanol-laced spirits astatine the beachfront bar, according to 1 antheral who tried to assistance the Melbourne teens aft they began feeling unwell.

Jaidee's Bar, which boasts of being the spot to beryllium for "drinking, talking, smoking, and smiling but nary fighting", is praised online for being a "happy café". One Tripadvisor reappraisal reads: "Ignore atrocious nutrient reviews, this is simply a 'happy cafe' truthful don't travel for bully food. This spot has an fantabulous 'happy menu'."

The Herald Sun reports the barroom has links to the Asian mafia, describing it arsenic a "dangerous" spot with links to organised crime. The work says the barroom adjacent has a drugs menu, which includes the enactment of buying weed by the associated oregon bag, "happy brownies", opium, mushrooms and ketamine.

British tourer Simone, 28, did not sojourn Jaidee's Bar, it is understood. However, the WhatsApp messages uncover Bianca and Holly, some from Melbourne, walked to the constitution from their hostel connected the nighttime they fell ill.

Despite the enactment atmosphere, the possession and usage of each drugs including weed are amerciable successful Laos and penalties are harsh. According to the UK's overseas question advice, these see beingness sentences and the decease penalty, with a fig of Lao nationals having been sentenced to decease successful 2019.

Five radical person died pursuing the wide portion spiking successful Vang Vieng and a further 11 are successful hospital. Simone, who was an subordinate lawyer based successful London specialising successful intelligence spot and technology astatine American instrumentality steadfast Squire Patton Boggs, was rushed to infirmary successful Laos, wherever she died.

Her friend, Bethany Clarke, a healthcare idiosyncratic besides from Orpington, Kent, took to the Laos Backpacking Facebook radical to pass different travellers. She said: "Urgent — delight debar each section spirits. Our radical stayed successful Vang Vieng and we drank escaped shots offered by 1 of the bars. Just debar them arsenic truthful not worthy it. Six of america who drank from the aforesaid spot are successful infirmary presently with methanol poisoning."