WELLINGTON, New Zealand — A charity helping the homeless in Auckland unknowingly distributed candies laced with a dangerous amount of methamphetamine in its food parcels. The contaminated sweets were donated by a member of the public.
Auckland City Mission reported on Wednesday that it is reaching out to up to 400 people to locate parcels that might contain the methamphetamine-laced candies, which were solid blocks of the drug wrapped in candy wrappers. New Zealand police have launched a criminal investigation into the incident.
The New Zealand Drug Foundation, which first tested the candies, reported that the methamphetamine in each candy was up to 300 times the usual dose and could be fatal.
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Ben Birks Ang, a spokesperson for the Foundation, noted that disguising drugs as harmless items is a common cross-border smuggling tactic and warned that more of these candies might be circulating in New Zealand.
The candies had a high street value of NZ$1,000 each, suggesting that the donation by the unidentified individual was likely accidental rather than a deliberate act of harm, according to Birks Ang.
City Missioner Helen Robinson reported that since Tuesday, eight families, including at least one child, had consumed the tainted candies. Thankfully, no one required hospitalization, and Robinson noted that the “revolting” taste caused most people to spit them out immediately.
Robinson explained that the charity’s food bank only accepts donations of commercially produced food in sealed packaging. The pineapple candies, labeled with the Malaysian brand Rinda, “appeared as such when they were donated,” and arrived in a retail-sized bag, she added.
Auckland City Mission was alerted on Tuesday by a food bank client who reported “funny-tasting” candy. Staff tasted some of the remaining candies and promptly contacted the authorities.
The candies had been donated within the past six weeks, Robinson said. It remains unclear how many had been distributed during that period and how many contained methamphetamine.
Some recipients of the food parcels were clients of the charity’s addiction services, and the revelation that drugs had been distributed has caused considerable distress.
Robinson said, “To say that we are devastated is an understatement,” noting that the food bank, which distributes parcels five days a week, was closed on Wednesday.
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