The charity organization Auckland City Mission, which distributes food packages to the homeless in the city, has now contacted around 400 people in an attempt to trace what appeared to be pineapple candy – but turned out to be solid pieces of methamphetamine in candy wrappers.
The amount of methamphetamine in each candy wrapper was up to 300 times more than someone would normally take. It is a dose that can be lethal, according to the New Zealand Drug Foundation, a drug control organization that has tested the candy pieces.
Tastes Bad
Eight families, including at least one child, have reported tasting the candy. However, no one has needed hospital care since most immediately spat out the drug due to its disgusting taste.
Each drug candy is estimated to have a street value of around 1,000 New Zealand dollars, equivalent to just over 6,300 kronor. This suggests that the donation to the food bank – made by an unknown private individual – was a mistake rather than a deliberate attack, says Ben Birks Ang, spokesperson for the New Zealand Drug Foundation.
According to Birks Ang, it is common to disguise drugs as harmless food items to smuggle them across borders.
Looked OK
Auckland City Mission only accepts donations of commercially produced food in sealed packages. The methamphetamine looked like just that, stamped with a label from a Malaysian brand and packaged in a retail-sized bag, according to the organization.
The police in New Zealand have launched a criminal investigation into the incident.
