Fan Wang writes for the BBC about the dangerous incident that may threaten the lives of members of more than four hundred households.
$1000 Lollipop
Auckland City Mission (ACM) is a charity that fights poverty. Its activities include preparing and distributing food parcels to those most in need. And so it was this time, with over 400 people receiving gifts from the organization. Unfortunately, among other food products, there was also candy “laced” with a potentially lethal dose of methamphetamine.
According to the organization’s representatives, they received the sweets from an anonymous donor in sealed, factory packaging. At least three of the recipients, including a child, then sought medical attention, although none of them are currently hospitalized. According to ACM, they had no idea that the lollipops were laced with a hard drug. You can take their word for it – the market value of one such delicacy is about NZ$1,000.
Rinda Pineapple-Meth Flavored Candy
ACM notified authorities on Tuesday, August 13, after receiving reports from recipients of packages that the sweets tasted unusual and made people feel “strange” after eating them. Some ACM employees tested the lollipops on themselves and agreed that they did, in fact, make people feel “strange.”
The organization’s director, Helen Robinson, ordered the sweets to be sent to the NZ Drug Foundation, where tests were carried out, which confirmed the suspicions – the lollipops contain methamphetamine. 300 times the usual dose, potentially lethal. Police have not yet determined whether the drug was accidentally found in them or whether it was a planned action. In the meantime, they are asking anyone who received lollipops or Rinda pineapple sweets in a food parcel to report the gift to the police immediately.
Malaysian confectionery company Rinda, the producer of the ill-fated sweets, says it is against all illegal substances and does not know how one of them ended up in its products. It also declares close cooperation with Interpol.
