Police have charged a man with manslaughter over a fatal ceremonial ritual involving South American hallucinogen ayahuasca and the frog poison, kambo.
Jarrad Antonovich collapsed while attending the Dreaming Arts Festival at a property at Collins Creek near Kyogle in the NSW Northern Rivers region on October 17, 2021.
The 45-year-old was treated by paramedics but died at the scene.
A NSW Coronial inquest in 2024 found he died from a perforated oesophagus.
Police said he had consumed prohibited substances, kambo and ayahuasca.
On Tuesday, police arrested a 52-year-old man in the Northern Rivers town of Coorabell and charged him with manslaughter.
Police will allege that the man supplied Mr Antonovich with ayahuasca while hosting a retreat at the property and delayed seeking medical treatment when the man’s health deteriorated.
He was granted bail and will return to Lismore Local Court on Monday, March 30.
What are kambo and ayahuasca?
Kambo is a poison harvested from the back of an Amazonian tree frog and used in South America for purging or cleansing 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 boiled in a brew, turning it into a powerful hallucinogen.
It was banned in Australia in 2022.
The death of Mr Antonovich has been the subject of a NSW Coronial Inquiry.
They investigated whether excessive vomiting, often associated with ayahuasca and kambo ceremonies, caused the tear that led to his death.
The inquiry was suspended in May 2024 with a coroner finding sufficient evidence to refer the matter to the Director of Public Prosecutions for Criminal charges.