Key Points:
- The Auckland City Mission is contacting up to 400 people after methamphetamine disguised as lollies was sent out in food parcels.
- It’s understood at least eight different families were affected, with police saying a child and a teenager had each had one of the lollies.
- The NZ Drug Foundation described the lolly as a “block” of methamphetamine, weighing roughly 3g – around 300 doses, which is considered “fatal”.
- Authorities are urging anyone who might have eaten the lollies to call 111, or to contact a health provider if you become unwell.
- Police have now launched an investigation to ensure public safety, find out how the drugs ended up at the City Mission, and how they got to New Zealand.
At least three people, including a child and teen, had to seek medical attention after meth disguised as lollies was accidentally distributed in food parcels.
The drug was discovered early on Tuesday afternoon when someone who received a parcel from the Auckland City Mission said the lolly — in a pineapple-flavoured Rinda-branded wrapping —tasted funny.
To date, at least eight different families have been affected – Missioner Helen Robinson said.
Detective Inspector Glenn Baldwin said a child and a teenager each had one of the lollies before spitting them out. They, along with a charity worker, sought medical assistance.
The child and teenager are both reported to be well and the charity worker was discharged overnight.
Baldwin said it was “frightening” that children were being caught up in the incident.
“I want to reiterate how important it is we get these lollies out of circulation.”
In a statement to 1News, the Malaysian company that produced the lollies — Rinda Food Industries — said it would “work closely with law enforcement and relevant authorities to address this issue”.
“We want to make it clear that Rinda Food Industries does not use or condone the use of any illegal drugs in our products,” said general manager Steven Teh.
“Our company is dedicated to ensuring that our products meet the highest safety and regulatory standards.”
Investigation launched
This afternoon, police announced they had launched Operation Tirade in an attempt to find out how the disguised drugs were donated to the City Mission and how they ended up in New Zealand.
Baldwin said there were three key “focuses” for investigators.
“Firstly, it is vital that the public are aware of these lollies and ensure they are secured and handed over to police,” he said.
“Our investigation is looking into how far these lollies have been circulated and ensure we can secure these items, to minimise harm.”
Police are also investigating the origin of the drugs and how they ended up in New Zealand.
Police say the ‘Rinda’ brand pineapple sweets may have been distributed in grocery boxes from the Auckland City Mission over the past several weeks. (Source: 1News)
“Drug importation is complex, and organised criminal groups use a range of measures to evade law enforcement agencies to import these illicit substances into New Zealand, and we have seen this before.
“Police and our partners work hard to disrupt these illicit concealments from reaching our communities, and we hold those responsible to account.”
Baldwin said 16 lollies had been seized by police, with forensic testing yesterday confirming they were methamphetamine.
“Police are treating these lollies as fully contaminated until we can prove otherwise,” he said.
This afternoon, police received six lollies from a family in Ōtāhuhu , and last night, a pensioner handed one to the police. Baldwin said there will “no doubt be further people to come forward”.
“I continue to urge anyone to ring us as soon as possible.”
“Given the complexities of drug importation, it may take some time for us to build a clearer understanding of how this has happened.
“The public can be assured that Police are taking this matter extremely seriously.”
400 people being contacted
The Auckland City Mission is contacting up to 400 people who may have received the drugs in food parcels.
The charity said people who had started eating the lollies reported a “bitter” taste and feeling unusual.
“If I could say one good thing or irony here, is that the taste of it is revolting,” Missioner Helen Robinson said at a media conference on Wednesday.
“The most common story that I have heard when people describe it, or when one of our staff members describes it to me, is that it is acrid and revolting. So people have a taste and spit it out.
“And that process of spitting it out certainly helps them. It does not mean that they may still be affected.”
Robinson warned “only a very small touch or lick” of the lollies could be deeply affecting, and the Mission has been contacting between 300 and 400 people who may have been passed the meth disguised as sweets.
Police were contacted yesterday after a test of one of the lollies found as much as 300 “common” doses of methamphetamine, considered an “extremely dangerous” amount.
They may have been distributed to recipients in food parcels between July 1 and yesterday, August 13.
Robinson told media she was “very proud” of the person who first alerted Auckland City Mission about the strange-tasting lolly.
“I rang them directly last night and said that their actions had potentially saved lives in our country and that I wanted to acknowledge them and thank them for that,” she said.
She also praised the cooperation between the City Mission, police, and the NZ Drug Foundation after the person called in.
She said it was a “very complex and difficult situation, knowing that a reasonable person would believe that this is a very safe item of food to consume”.
How did the drugs enter New Zealand?
Drug Foundation executive director Sarah Helm said the lolly, wrapped in the brand’s packaging, contained approximately 3g of methamphetamine.
“A common dose to swallow is between 10-25mg, so this contaminated lolly contained up to 300 doses. Swallowing that much methamphetamine is extremely dangerous and could result in death.”
Drug Foundation deputy executive director Ben Birks told media the lolly was essentially a “block” of methamphetamine and had a street value of around $1000 per lolly.
Briks said it was “common” for drug smugglers to disguise products as something else so they could be imported into New Zealand.
“So our assumption at this point is that this is unlikely to be intentional (the drugs being handed to the mission), but we’ll leave that ultimately over to the police to make their decisions,” he said.
“We are also part of a very volatile international drug market. So, while this may be the first time we have seen this in New Zealand in this manner, this is happening overseas, and we are likely to see more of this.
“We need to make sure that we have all strings in our bow to be able to respond and keep public safety there.”
He said one lolly was brought to the Drug Foundation yesterday, and multiple tests on different parts of it were done.
Robinson was asked if it had crossed her mind that the drugs were donated intentionally to target vulnerable people.
“I’d have to acknowledge it crossed my mind,” she said.
“But in the conversations that I’ve had with both the New Zealand Drug Foundation and the police, I think what Ben said before is very important that that the street value of this bag of lollies is a lot of money.
“It makes most sense that, actually, this accidentally came to us.”
All agencies are urging anyone who might have eaten the laced lollies to call 111, quoting fire number file number 240813/5919.
If you are feeling unwell you should go to your nearest healthcare provider urgently. You can also call the national poison line on 0800 764 766.
Symptoms can include chest pain, a racing heart, seizures, hyperthermia, delirium, and a loss of consciousness. High Alert – part of the National Drug Intelligence Bureau responsible for drug harm notifications – has also been alerted.
