Auckland Charity Accidentally Distributes Methamphetamine Disguised as Candy

On Wednesday, New Zealand police launched an urgent effort to recover methamphetamine that was mistakenly distributed as candy by the Auckland City Mission. The meth, disguised as pineapple-flavored sweets from the Malaysian brand Rinda, was donated to the charity and then given out to the public.
The methamphetamine blocks, each weighing about three grams and containing up to 300 doses, were found to be potentially lethal. Following the distribution, three individuals, including a charity worker, a child, and a teenager, sought medical attention but were discharged after tasting the drug-laced candies. Eight families reported having tasted the dangerous sweets, but most were able to spit them out immediately.
Symptoms from ingesting the meth could include severe reactions such as chest pains, seizures, and loss of consciousness. The Auckland police have recovered 16 of the fake candies and are investigating how many were distributed. Detective Inspector Glenn Baldwin emphasized the seriousness of the situation and assured the public that efforts are ongoing to locate and retrieve all affected items.
Auckland City Mission, a charity that provides food and housing to those in poverty, inadvertently distributed methamphetamine disguised as pineapple-flavored candy. The drugs, donated over the past six weeks and appearing to be from the commercially produced Rinda brand, were given out as part of the charity’s food parcels.
The charity, which distributes around 50,000 food baskets annually, had accepted the candy due to its sealed packaging and recognizable brand. However, staff became suspicious after receiving a complaint about the candy’s unusual taste and experienced a “strange effect” themselves. The staff then tasted the remaining candies and immediately realized something was wrong, prompting them to take the items to a drug testing clinic.
Rinda Food Industries has stated that it is cooperating with New Zealand authorities in the investigation. Auckland City Mission has not disclosed the specific locations where the affected food parcels were distributed or details about the recipients. The charity is working with police to recover all potentially dangerous candies and ensure public safety.