Meth found in sweets distributed by charity organisation

A pineapple-flavoured candy filled with a potentially lethal dose of methamphetamine.

A charity in New Zealand on Wednesday issued an alert saying it had unknowingly distributed candy that contained a lethal dose of methamphetamine, commonly referred to as meth.

According to AP, Auckland City Mission had already begun tracing some of the over 300 families that had received the sweets which had earlier been donated by a member of the public.

It was reported that the amount of meth in the candy was almost 300 times the level one would usually take and could be fatal.

Ben Birks Ang, a foundation spokesperson said disguising drugs was common among smugglers and there was a chance that the candy was distributed to several parts of New Zealand.

Some quarters suggested that the donation might have been accidental since the sweets had a street value of approximately Sh78,400 per candy.

Several families reported consuming the candy but the taste put them off, prompting authorities to swing into action.

The sweets were then taken to the NZ Drug Foundation for tests which confirmed the high levels of meth.

"A common dose to swallow is between 10-25mg, so this contaminated lolly contained up to 300 doses," said its head Sarah Helm, adding that swallowing such an amount of the drug is "extremely dangerous and could result in death".

Rinda, a Malaysian confectioner, told BBC News that it has come to their attention that their products may have been misused in connection with illegal substances and the company "does not use or condone the use of any illegal drugs" in their products.

"We will work closely with law enforcement and relevant authorities to address this issue and protect the integrity of our brand," the firm said in a statement.