Homeless charity accidentally gave out ‘lethal’ doses of meth in sweet wrappers
A charity for the homeless in New Zealand unknowingly distributed sweets filled with a potentially lethal dose of methamphetamine in its food parcels after the sweets were donated by a member of the public.
Yesterday, Auckland City Mission (ACM) said staff had started to contact up to 400 people to track down parcels that could contain the drugs – which appear as solid blocks of methamphetamine enclosed in sweet wrappers.
Three people were treated in hospital after consuming them, New Zealand authorities said, but were later discharged.
The amount of methamphetamine in each wrapper was up to 300 times the level someone would usually take and could be lethal, according to the New Zealand Drug Foundation.
Ben Birks Ang, a spokesperson for the foundation, said disguising drugs as innocuous goods is a common cross-border smuggling technique and more of the sweets might have been distributed throughout New Zealand.
The drugs in this case have a high street value of about 1,000 New Zealand dollars per sweet, equivalent to €545. This suggests the donation by an unknown member of the public was accidental, according to Mr Birks Ang.
Detective Inspector Glenn Baldwin said “initial perceptions” were that the episode was probably an importation scheme gone awry. He added that officers have recovered 16 of the sweets but do not know how many are circulating.
Helen Robinson of ACM said eight families, including at least one child, reported consuming the contaminated sweets since Tuesday. The “revolting” taste meant most spat them out quickly.
The charity’s food bank only accepts donations of commercially produced food in sealed packaging. The pineapple candies, stamped with the label of Malaysian brand Rinda, “appeared as such when they were donated”, arriving in a retail-sized bag, said Ms Robinson.
ACM was alerted by a food bank client who reported “funny-tasting” sweets on Tuesday. Staff tasted some of the remaining sweets and immediately contacted the authorities.
One staff member was taken to hospital after sampling the sweet, Det Insp Baldwin said, adding that a child and a “young person” were also treated in hospital before being discharged.
Rinda said in a statement the company had learned through news reports that its sweets “may have been misused” and would co-operate with authorities.
Methamphetamine is a powerful, highly addictive stimulant that affects the central nervous system.