The candy they distributed to the homeless alarmed the country

A charity helping the homeless in Auckland, New Zealand, mistakenly distributed sweets containing a “lethal dose” of methamphetamine.

Inspector Glenn Baldwin said most of the people who consumed the donated candy had spat it out because it tasted “disgusting” and that the issue had been reported to the authorities after one person had alerted the charity about the candy’s taste. Baldwin said three people, including the staff member who tasted the candy, were taken to hospital but were later discharged.

The charity Auckland City Mission announced on its official website that the candies containing high doses of methamphetamine were donated to the association by an unknown person.

New Zealand Drugs Foundation spokesman Ben Birks Ang said tests by the foundation found the amount of methamphetamine in each lolly was up to 300 times the normal amount, which could have fatal consequences. Ang said concealing drugs in products such as lollies is a common cross-border smuggling technique, and that since the lollies cost around NZ$1,000 (about $600) each, they believed it was an accident rather than a deliberate attack.

It is not yet clear how much of the candy donated in the last six weeks was distributed and how much of it contained methamphetamine.

SUGAR COMPANY MADE A STATEMENT

The company that produces the candies in question also announced in a statement that the company never accepted the use of illegal drugs in the products and that the candies “may have been used for the wrong purpose (after production).” The company also noted that they would cooperate with the authorities.

Methamphetamine, a synthetic substance that has a powerful and highly addictive effect on the central nervous system, is usually in the form of a white, odorless, bitter-tasting crystalline powder that dissolves easily in water or alcohol.