Roofie-like symptoms reported at multiple New Orleans bars near Loyola

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - Police on Loyola University’s campus sent an email out on Oct. 3 warning students of possible drugging at bars.

T.J. Quills, a student hotspot, was raided as part of the investigation, headed in tandem with Loyola University Police and the New Orleans Police Department, according to Director of University Police Todd Warren.

“We are concerned that students, particularly minors, may have been served illegal substances without their knowledge or consent, putting them in danger,” said Warren.

Officials say drugging incidents have been reported at multiple bars near campus that students are known to frequent. The email noted symptoms similar to being roofied, including dizziness, nausea, excessive sweating, and breathing problems.

The email read as follows:

Dear Loyola community,

We want to make you aware that several students have reported to us their suspicion that their drinks may have been drugged at local bars close to campus. New Orleans Police with the assistance of several agencies including Loyola University Police, are actively investigating these incidents, including a recent raid at T.J. Quills.

We are concerned that students, particularly minors, may have been served illegal substances without their knowledge or consent, putting them in danger. (We also want to make clear that this danger is not limited to any single bar, though the incidents reported have occurred at the bars closest to campus that many of you frequent.)We urge anyone with information relevant to the investigation to come forward and help us, and we want to remind all of you to be careful. Symptoms and signs of being “roofied” include:

• feeling very drunk, even if you’ve only had one drink
• nausea and vomiting
• loss of muscle control
• excessive sweating
• breathing problems
• heart irregularities
• dizziness
• “out-of-body” dream-like experience

You can reach out to me directly by calling me at 504-865-3190 or by emailing me at twwarren@loyno.edu. You may also contact the NOPD Detectives leading the investigation, Matthew Connolly or Timothy Jones, at 504-658-6020. Lastly, you can use our Silent Witness form, which allows students to report possible crimes on campus anonymously. We want to remind you that students coming forward as witnesses of serious crimes such as this will not be punished for infractions like underage drinking - see our amnesty policy for more information.

Student Affairs recently asked all students to store LUPD’s number (504-865-3434) in your cell phones, so you can call us anytime. I appreciate your concern and cooperation. By working together in the Loyola way, we can truly serve as men and women for and with others.

Police are urging anyone with information to contact NOPD.

See a spelling or grammar error in our story? Click Here to report it. Please include the headline.

Copyright 2021 WVUE. All rights reserved.