The Auckland City Mission – Te Tāpui Atawhai stated Wednesday that one of the food parcel recipient told them that the pineapple lollies had a “funny taste,” not like pineapple at all but rather bitter and that they induced an unusual feeling.
The Mission enlisted the New Zealand Drug Foundation to test the remaining lollies. The results were alarming: the candies contained a staggering three grams 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,” Sarah Helm, Executive Director of the Drug Foundation, warned.
The Drug Foundation also warned about the severe symptoms that could follow the consumption of such high doses of methamphetamine, including chest pain, rapid heart rate, seizures, dangerously high body temperature, delirium, and even loss of consciousness.
With uncertainty over how many people may have consumed the lollies, the Drug Foundation has advised anyone who has Rinda brand pineapple lollies to avoid eating them.
The Auckland City Mission stated that the lollies, produced by Malaysia’s Rinda Food Industries, arrived “in sealed retail-sized packages” and were donated by “an unknown member of the public.” The Mission, which only accepts commercially manufactured food, included the Rinda pineapple lollies in the regular food parcels for the homeless.
Upon discovering the issue, the charity quickly began notifying its beneficiaries and providing guidance on the next steps. Additionally, they have posted warnings at key locations to alert people about the dangerous candies.
The New Zealand Police have launched an investigation and emphasized that they are “treating the matter as a priority given the risk to the public.”
Various media reports suggest that the dangerous drug ended up in the food parcels by accident, rather than intentionally, as a single “lolly” could fetch up to NZ$1,000 (US$601) on the street.