A charity called Auckland City Mission, which cares for the homeless in New Zealand, admitted to unknowingly handing out candy containing lethal doses of methamphetamine.
The Rinda brand pineapple lollipops were donated by a member of the public in a “sealed retail package” and contained solid blocks of methamphetamine, more than 300 times the usual dose, according to the New Zealand Drug Foundation. The candies can be fatal if consumed.
We received an alert from a food parcel recipient who said he had ‘funny tasting’ lollipops,” Auckland City Mission said in a news release on Wednesday. “For safety reasons, the lollipops remaining on site were tested by the NZ Drug Foundation. Tests confirmed that the lollipops tested contained potentially lethal amounts of methamphetamine.
The NZ Drug Foundation advises anyone who comes into contact with Rinda brand pineapple lollipops not to eat them, as it does not know how “widespread” the contaminated lollipops are.
The Auckland City Mission states that it only accepts industrially produced food as donations, but the lollipops did not initially seem suspicious to the aid organization’s employees.
“To say we are devastated would be an understatement,” the aid organization said. “We rely on the generosity of the public to support those in need and we are grateful to everyone who supports us.”
Auckland City Mission has now started contacting the recipients of the candy, estimated to be up to 400 people, and has also put up posters at all locations to make tenants aware of the candy.
Symptoms of meth use may include chest pain, rapid heartbeat, seizures, or loss of consciousness.
New Zealand police believe it was likely an accidental donation, as the candy had a retail value of about NZ$1,000 (US$608) each.
