A New Zealand charity, which works for homeless people, unknowingly distributed anonymously-donated candies which had lethal amounts of methamphetamine. Three people fell sick after consuming the candies, Reuters reported.
“We are deeply concerned at this turn of events and the police are actively investigating,” Auckland City Mission said in a statement.
Detective inspector Glenn Baldwin took stock of the situation and said, “Drug importation is complex, and organised criminal groups use a range of measures and techniques to try and evade enforcement agencies, not only in New Zealand, but around the world.”
“This meth puts families and the public at extreme risk it’s frightening,” he added.
The New Zealand Drug Foundation tested the candy and found that each piece contained up to 3 grams (0.1 ounces) of methamphetamine—up to 300 times the typical dose, according to Drug Foundation Executive Director Sarah Helm, USA Today reported.
In a Facebook post, the NZ Drug Foundation listed out the symptoms of consuming meth and said, “We advise people not to eat, taste or lick these. If you have come across these lollies, please make sure you keep them out of reach of children and animals. For 24/7 advice, phone the National Poisons Centre on 0800 POISON (0800 764 766).”
According to the foundation, the symptoms include:
“We are deeply concerned at this turn of events and the police are actively investigating,” Auckland City Mission said in a statement.
Detective inspector Glenn Baldwin took stock of the situation and said, “Drug importation is complex, and organised criminal groups use a range of measures and techniques to try and evade enforcement agencies, not only in New Zealand, but around the world.”
“This meth puts families and the public at extreme risk it’s frightening,” he added.
The New Zealand Drug Foundation tested the candy and found that each piece contained up to 3 grams (0.1 ounces) of methamphetamine—up to 300 times the typical dose, according to Drug Foundation Executive Director Sarah Helm, USA Today reported.
In a Facebook post, the NZ Drug Foundation listed out the symptoms of consuming meth and said, “We advise people not to eat, taste or lick these. If you have come across these lollies, please make sure you keep them out of reach of children and animals. For 24/7 advice, phone the National Poisons Centre on 0800 POISON (0800 764 766).”
According to the foundation, the symptoms include:
- Chest pain
- Racing heart
- Seizures
- Fever or feeling very hot
- Delirium
- Loss of consciousness
“Swallowing that much methamphetamine is extremely dangerous and could result in death,” the Foundation spokeswoman Sarah Helm said.
Calling the act unintentional, Auckland City Mission’s Helen Robinson said, “You could have only a very small touch or lick of the substance and still be deeply affected.”
“We suspect somebody hasn’t intentionally sought to poison children,” she added, as reported by AFP.