A charity organization in Auckland, New Zealand, unknowingly distributed potentially deadly methamphetamine-laced candies in its food parcels after receiving the sweets as a donation from a member of the public.
On Wednesday, Auckland City Mission reported that it had begun contacting up to 400 individuals to retrieve parcels that may contain the tainted candies—solid methamphetamine blocks concealed in candy wrappers. According to New Zealand authorities, three people were hospitalized after consuming the candies but were later discharged.
The New Zealand Drug Foundation, a drug-checking and policy organization, revealed that each candy contained up to 300 times the usual dose of methamphetamine, making them potentially lethal.
Ben Birks Ang, a spokesperson for the Foundation, explained that disguising drugs as everyday items is a common smuggling tactic, raising concerns that more of these candies might be circulating throughout New Zealand.
Each candy had a high street value of NZ$1,000 (US$608), leading Birks Ang to suggest that the donation was likely accidental rather than an intentional attack.
Detective Inspector Glenn Baldwin shared that the authorities’ initial assessment pointed to an importation scheme gone wrong, though the full extent of the operation remains unclear. While officers have recovered 16 of the candies, the total number still in circulation is unknown.
Helen Robinson, the City Missioner, stated that eight families, including at least one child, had reported consuming the contaminated candies since Tuesday. The candies’ “revolting” taste caused most people to spit them out immediately.
Robinson emphasized that the charity’s food bank only accepts commercially produced food in sealed packaging. The candies, which were labeled as a Malaysian brand called Rinda, appeared legitimate and arrived in a retail-sized bag.
Auckland City Mission became aware of the issue on Tuesday when a food bank client reported a “funny-tasting” candy. After staff members sampled the remaining sweets, they immediately alerted authorities. One staff member, a child, and a young person were taken to the hospital after sampling the candy and were later discharged.
Robinson noted that the candies were donated sometime in the last six weeks, but it is unclear how many contained methamphetamine or how many were distributed during that period.
In a written statement, Rinda’s General Manager Steven Teh expressed the company’s shock at learning about the incident through New Zealand news reports and pledged to cooperate with authorities.
“We want to clarify that Rinda Food Industries does not use or condone the use of illegal drugs in our products,” Teh said.
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Methamphetamine is a powerful and highly addictive stimulant that affects the central nervous system. It typically appears as a white, odorless, bitter-tasting crystalline powder that dissolves easily in water or alcohol.
