The candies were donated to the food bank by an individual, in what is believed to have been an accident and not a deliberate act.
A charity organization New Zealand who helps the homeless unknowingly distributed candy with a potentially lethal dose of methamphetamine in their food packages, after having been donated by an individual.
Auckland City Mission reported on Wednesday that its staff had begun contacting up to 400 people to locate packages that could contain the candy, which was solid blocks of methamphetamine encased in candy wrappers.
three people were treated at the hospital after consuming them, but were later discharged, according to authorities. The amount of methamphetamine contained in each candy was up to 300 times higher than what a person would normally consume and could be lethal, according to the New Zealand Drug Foundation, a drug policy and control organization that first tested the candy.
Ben Birks Ang, spokesperson for the Foundation, stated that disguise drugs as harmless products is a common cross-border smuggling technique and that more candy could have been distributed throughout New Zealand.
The candies had a street value of 1,000 New Zealand dollars (546 euros) for candywhich suggested that the donation by a stranger was accidental and not a deliberate attacksaid Birks Ang.
The charity alerted the authorities after a tip from a food bank user
The authorities’ “initial perception” was that it was probably a import plan that had gone wrongdeclared Inspector Glenn Baldwin, but The nature and magnitude of the operation was unknown. Agents had recovered 29 of the candies, but did not know how many remained in circulation, he said Thursday. Police were investigating reports that someone had tried to sell one of the sweets online, Baldwin added.
Helen Robinson, from the charity, said: eight familiesincluding at least one child, had reported having consumed the contaminated candies since Tuesday. He “disgusting” taste led the majority to spit them out immediatelysaid.
He food bank of the charity only accepts food donationscommercially produced in sealed containersRobinson said. The pineapple candies, labeled by the Malaysian brand Rinda, “appeared as such when donated,” and they arrived in onecommercial size baghe added.
Auckland City Mission was alerted on Tuesday by a food bank user who reported that the sweets had a “strange taste“. He personal tried some of the remaining sweets and was immediately contact the authorities.
One staff member was transferred to hospital after trying one, Baldwin said, adding that a child and a “young man” were also treated at the hospital before being released.
The candies had been donated sometime in the last six weeksRobinson said. It was unclear how many had been distributed in that time or how many were made of methamphetamine.
The company that produces the candy condemns the illicit use of its products
Rinda said in a written statement that the company learned through New Zealand news that its candies “may have been misused” and that would cooperate with the authorities. “We want to be clear that Rinda Food Industries does not use or condone the use of any illegal drugs in our products,” said CEO Steven Teh.
The methamphetamine It is a powerful stimulant highly addictive that affects the central nervous system. It comes in the form of a white, odorless, bitter-tasting crystalline powder that dissolves easily in water or alcohol.
