Candy for $600: New Zealand charity workers handed out sweets laced with methamphetamine
16 August 2024 04:12
In New Zealand, the anti-poverty charity Auckland City Mission accidentally sent people food parcels containing amphetamine candy. This was reported by "Komersant Ukrainian" with reference to the BBC.
According to the anti-poverty charity, up to 400 people could have received the sweets as part of a food parcel. The sweets were anonymously donated in sealed packaging. At least three people, including a child, have since sought medical attention, but no one is currently in hospital.
“We didn’t know there was methamphetamine in the lollipops when we sent them,” a spokesperson for the charity told the BBC.
Each individual candy can cost about a thousand New Zealand dollars ($601).
Police say the incident may well have been accidental, but it is too early to draw any conclusions.
The charity alerted the authorities after a recipient reported that the candy tasted “funny”. Some of the charity’s employees tasted the sweets themselves and agreed with the complaints.
The sweets were sent to the New Zealand Drug Foundation for testing, which confirmed that the samples contained potentially lethal levels of methamphetamine. The foundation stated that the candy contained about 3 grams of methamphetamine.
However, according to Sarah Helm, the head of the foundation, the usual dose is between 10 and 25 milligrams, so this lollipop contained up to 300 doses.
“Swallowing that much of the drug is extremely dangerous and can lead to death,” she says.
According to the foundation, methamphetamine can cause chest pain, heart palpitations, seizures, hyperthermia, delirium, and loss of consciousness.
The charity sends about 50,000 food parcels a year to people in need, and these parcels contain only store-bought food.
Police asked people who have Rinda brand sweets in yellow packaging with pineapple flavour to contact them immediately.
Authorities are still trying to understand the extent of the distribution. So far, 16 bags have been seized – police say each bag could have contained 20-30 candies, but they do not know the exact number in the 16 bags. The charity has contacted 400 people.
The candy manufacturer itself said it “does not use or allow the use of any illegal drugs” in its products. The company promised to cooperate with law enforcement agencies.
Rinda’s general manager, Stephen Pech, said that the methamphetamine-poisoned candy is white, while Rinda’s product is yellow.
