Auckland City Mission, a charity working with homeless people in New Zealand, unknowingly distributed potentially lethal methamphetamine-filled sweets in its food parcels donated by a member of the public. The charity has been contacting up to 400 people to track down parcels that may contain the contaminated sweets. New Zealand police have opened a criminal investigation, and the New Zealand Drug Foundation tested the lollies and found that each sweet contained up to 300 times the usual dose of methamphetamine.
The sweets, disguised as harmless candy, had a street value of NZ$1,000 (US$608) each, suggesting that their inclusion in the food parcels was accidental rather than intentional. Despite some families reporting consuming the contaminated sweets, no one was hospitalized as the “revolting” taste caused them to immediately spit them out. Auckland City Mission only accepts commercially produced food in sealed packaging, and the charity was alerted after a food bank client reported a strange taste in the lollies.
The incident has caused distress among clients of the charity’s addiction service, some of whom had received the contaminated food parcels. The City Missioner, Helen Robinson, expressed devastation over the situation. Methamphetamine is a powerful stimulant that affects the central nervous system and is highly addictive. Rinda, the Malaysian brand of the sweets, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. New Zealand authorities are working to ensure the safety of those potentially affected by the distribution of the tainted sweets.
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