Fatal error: Meth-laced candy distributed by Auckland charity
A horrible mistake in New Zealand. A fatal dose of methamphetamine was detected in sweets that a charity organisation distributed in food packages for the poor. One of the benefactors anonymously donated pineapple candies.
Auckland City Mission is a New Zealand charity organisation combating poverty. It made headlines when it was discovered that a batch of candies donated in the food packages was contaminated with a highly addictive and illegal drug.
"An investigation is ongoing, and the police are treating the matter as a priority given the risk to the community," local authorities announced.
Fatal dose of drug in sweets
The New Zealand Drug Foundation reported that a test sample of the innocuous-looking white candy in brightly yellow packaging indicated the presence of methamphetamine.
The foundation's spokesperson, Sarah Helm, said that the tested candies contained around three grams of methamphetamine. This is several hundred times more than the dose taken by individuals who purposefully use the drug.
“A common dose to swallow is between 10-25mg, so this contaminated lolly contained up to 300 doses," noted Helm. She explained that intake of this amount of substance is "extremely dangerous and could result in death.”
Terrible mistake or deliberate act?
The spokesperson appealed to those who received food packages from the organisation in Auckland not to consume the sweets contained in them. "We did not know that the lollies contained methamphetamine when they were distributed," she admitted.
As the organisation stated in a released declaration, one of the benefactors anonymously donated the candies. They were in sealed and branded packaging, which did not arouse suspicion among the volunteers who were preparing the packages.
“It's vital the public are aware of these lollies and the hazard that they present,” Helen Robinson from Auckland City Mission told reporters.
The charity organisation believes that up to 400 people might have received the contaminated sweets in food packages.
Even touching can be dangerous
Robinson said they know eight families who have tasted the sweets in the packages. So far, no one has required hospitalisation.
In one case, parents gave a candy to their child, who immediately spat it out. Contaminated sweets are reported to have a bitter and unpleasant taste. At such a concentration of the drug, even simply touching or licking the candy can be dangerous.
The horrible mistake was discovered after one of the recipients felt ill after trying just a candy. They also noticed the bitter taste, which is unusual for sweets.
Methamphetamine can cause chest pain, rapid heartbeat, seizures, delusions, and loss of consciousness, the drug foundation warns.
Helm told Radio New Zealand that drug traffickers often hide illegal drugs as food items. She added that they suspect the drugs were not donated intentionally. Ultimately, the police will decide.
