New Zealand police are hurrying to track down a candy containing “potentially deadly amounts of methamphetamine” that was given out by a charity organisation in Auckland.
According to the anti-poverty charity, an estimated 400 individuals may have received the candy from Auckland City Mission as part of a food package. A member of the public anonymously donated the candy in a sealed retail package.
Afterwards, at least three people, including a child, sought medical attention, although none are currently hospitalised.
According to the New Zealand Drug Foundation, each candy could be valued at approximately NZ$1,000. Authorities have stated that it may be premature to draw any conclusions as it is early in the investigation, and they are uncertain whether the incident was accidental or part of a targeted operation.
After a recipient reported receiving “funny tasting” candies, the charity notified the authorities on Tuesday.
Helen Robinson, the CEO of Auckland City Mission, disclosed that a few employees of the organisation sampled the candies and experienced the same negative effects as the complainants, reporting feeling unwell afterwards.
Afterwards, they sent the remaining candies from the premises to the NZ Drug Foundation for testing, and the results confirmed that the samples contained dangerously high levels of methamphetamine.
In a statement, the foundation said they found about 3g of methamphetamine in a sweet that was sent for testing.
“A common dose to swallow is between 10-25mg, so this contaminated lolly contained up to 300 doses,” says its head, Sarah Helm, adding that swallowing such an amount of the drug is “extremely dangerous and could result in death”.
Police have asked people with sweets wrapped in Rinda’s yellow pineapple-flavour packaging to contact them immediately. Rinda, a Malaysian confectioner who produced the candies, said it worked closely with law enforcement and relevant authorities to address this issue and protect its brand’s integrity.
The authorities are still investigating the extent of the spread. Currently, 16 packets have been found; the police believe each packet may contain 20 to 30 sweets, but the exact quantity in the 16 packets is unknown.