A New Zealand food bank unwittingly distributed candies filled with methamphetamine after someone donated the sweets.
Auckland City Mission, a 100-year-old charity that works with homeless people in Auckland, New Zealand, received what it thought was a donation of candies. The food bank only accepts sealed items, and the pineapple candies in wrappers from the Malaysian brand Rinda “appeared as such when they were donated,” according to City Missioner Helen Robinson.
They weren’t laced with meth. They were just straight-up drugs.
According to the New Zealand Drug Foundation, the candies contained up to 300 times the average amount one would consume. Unfortunately, disguising drugs in this way is a common smuggling practice. A few years ago, $1 billion worth of meth was found in a shipment of coconut water. Last year, New Zealand confiscated meth in jugs of maple syrup and cooking oil.
Ben Birks Ang, a Foundation spokesperson, believes even more laced sweets were likely distributed throughout the country. Ang said the candies had a high street value of NZ$ 1,000 ($608) per piece. Surely, the donor didn’t realize what was in the candies at the time.
A representative of Rinda denied any involvement in the incident. “We want to make it clear that Rinda Food Industries does not use or condone the use of any illegal drugs in our products,” said Steven Teh, the company’s general manager. He said they are willing to cooperate with authorities.
As for those who consumed the candies, one of them reported the “funny-tasting” candy, while others were taken to the hospital for treatment—including one food bank staff member, one child, and one “young person.” Thankfully, they have all since been discharged.
The New Zealand Drug Foundation is now advising everyone to steer clear of the pineapple candies altogether, as it’s unclear how many are still out there.
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