In Auckland, New Zealand, a charity that helps homeless people accidentally gave out candies laced with a dangerous drug called methamphetamine. The candies, which were donated by someone in the community, turned out to be filled with methamphetamine, and this drug could be deadly.
The Auckland City Mission quickly realized the problem and began contacting up to 400 people to find and remove any potentially harmful candies from their food parcels. Three people who ate the candies had to go to the hospital but are now okay.
Each candy contained up to 300 times more methamphetamine than is usually consumed, making it extremely dangerous. The New Zealand Drug Foundation, which tested the candies, warned that this amount could be lethal.
Ben Birks Ang from the Drug Foundation explained that disguising drugs as ordinary items is a common trick used to smuggle them across borders. This suggests that more of these dangerous candies might be out there in New Zealand.
Each candy was worth about NZ$ 1,000 (around $608), which makes it seem like the donation was probably an accident rather than a deliberate attempt to harm people. Detective Inspector Glenn Baldwin said that it looked like a smuggling attempt that went wrong, but they don’t yet know the full details. They have found 16 of the candies but still aren’t sure how many are still circulating.
Helen Robinson from the Auckland City Mission said that eight families, including at least one child, reported eating the contaminated candies. Most of them immediately spat out the sweets because they tasted awful.
The charity only accepts food that’s commercially produced and sealed. The candies, which were in a bag from a Malaysian brand called Rinda, seemed normal when they were donated.
The City Mission found out about the problem when a client complained that the candy tasted strange. Staff tasted some of the remaining candies and then contacted the authorities. One staff member and a child who ate the candies had to go to the hospital but are now fine.
The candies were donated over the past six weeks, but it’s unclear how many were distributed and how many were actually filled with methamphetamine.
Rinda, the candy company, said they learned about the issue from the news and assured that they do not use or support illegal drugs in their products. Their General Manager, Steven Teh, promised they would work with the authorities to resolve the situation.
Methamphetamine is a powerful and addictive drug that affects the brain and nervous system. It is a white, bitter-tasting powder that dissolves easily in water or alcohol.
