WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — A New Zealand charity working with homeless people in Auckland unknowingly distributed candies filled with a potentially lethal dose of methamphetamine in its food parcels after the sweets were donated by a member of the public.
Auckland City Mission said Wednesday that staff had started to contact up to 400 people to track down parcels that could contain the sweets, which were solid blocks of methamphetamine enclosed in candy wrappers. Three people were treated in hospital after consuming them, but were later discharged, authorities said.
The amount of methamphetamine in each candy was up to 300 times the level someone would usually take and could be lethal, according to the New Zealand Drug Foundation, which is a drug checking and policy organization that first tested the candies.
Ben Birks Ang, a Foundation spokesperson, said disguising drugs as innocuous goods is a common cross-border smuggling technique and more of the candies might have been distributed throughout New Zealand.
The sweets had a street value of NZ$1,000 ($608) per candy, which suggested the donation by an unknown member of the public was accidental rather than a deliberate attack, Birks Ang said.
The authorities' “initial perceptions” were that the episode was likely an importation scheme gone awry, Detective Inspector Glenn Baldwin said, but the nature and scale of the operation was unknown. Officers had recovered 29 of the candies, but did not know how many were circulating, he said Thursday.
Police were investigating reports that someone had attempted to sell one of the sweets online, he added.
The City Missioner, Helen Robinson, said eight families, including at least one child, had reported consuming the contaminated candies since Tuesday. The “revolting” taste led most to immediately spit them out, she said.
The charity's food bank accepts only donations of commercially produced food in sealed packaging, Robinson said. The pineapple candies, stamped with the label of Malaysian brand Rinda, “appeared as such when they were donated," arriving in a retail-sized bag, she added.
Auckland City Mission was alerted Tuesday by a food bank client who reported “funny-tasting” candy. Staff tasted some of the remaining candies and immediately contacted authorities. One staff member was taken to hospital after sampling the sweet, Baldwin said, adding that a child and a “young person” were also treated in hospital before being discharged.
The candies had been donated sometime in the past six weeks, Robinson said. It was not clear how many had been distributed in that time and how many were made of methamphetamine.
Rinda said in a written statement that the company learned through New Zealand news reports that its candies “may have been misused” and would cooperate with authorities.
“We want to make it clear that Rinda Food Industries does not use or condone the use of any illegal drugs in our products,” General Manager Steven Teh said.
Methamphetamine is a powerful, highly addictive stimulant that affects the central nervous system. It takes the form of a white, odorless, bitter-tasting crystalline powder that easily dissolves in water or alcohol.
In this photo provided by the NZ Drug Foundation, a pineapple flavored candy filled with a potentially lethal dose of methamphetamine is displayed in Auckland, New Zealand, Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024. (Shaun Hill/NZ Drug Foundation via AP)
Tito Jackson, one of the brothers who made up the beloved pop group the Jackson 5, has died at age 70.
Tito was the third of nine Jackson children, which include global superstars Michael and sister Janet, part of a music-making family whose songs are still beloved today.
“It’s with heavy hearts that we announce that our beloved father, Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Tito Jackson is no longer with us. We are shocked, saddened and heartbroken. Our father was an incredible man who cared about everyone and their well-being,” his sons TJ, Taj and Taryll said in a statement posted on Instagram late Sunday.
The Jackson 5 included brothers Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon and Michael. The family group, which was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1997, produced several No. 1 hits in the 1970s including "ABC," “I Want You Back” and “I’ll Be There.”
The Jackson 5 became one of the biggest names in music under the guidance of their father, Joe Jackson, a steelworker and guitar player who supported his wife and nine children in Gary, Indiana. As the family’s music careers took off, they relocated to California.
Born on Oct. 15, 1953, Toriano Adaryll “Tito” Jackson was the least-heard member of the group as a background singer who played guitar. His brothers launched solo careers, including Michael, who became one of the world's biggest performers known as The King of Pop.
Michael Jackson died at age 50 on June 25, 2009.
Speaking to The Associated Press in December 2009, Jackson said his younger brother's death pulled the family closer together.
“I would say definitely it brought us a step closer to each other. To recognize that the love we have for each other when one of us is not here, what a great loss,” he said, adding he would personally never “be at peace with it.”
“There’s still moments when I just can’t believe it. So I think that’s never going to go away,” he said.
In 2014, Jackson said he and his brothers still felt Michael Jackson's absence in their shows that continued with international tours.
“I don’t think we will ever get used to performing without him. He’s dearly missed," he said, noting that his spirit "is with us when we are performing. It gives us a lot of positive energy and puts a lot of smiles on our faces."
Days before his death, Jackson posted a message on his Facebook page from Munich, Germany, on Sept. 11, where he visited a memorial to Michael Jackson with his brothers.
“Before our show in Munich, my brothers Jackie, Marlon, and I, visited the beautiful memorial dedicated to our beloved brother, Michael Jackson. We’re deeply grateful for this special place that honors not only his memory but also our shared legacy. Thank you for keeping his spirit alive," he wrote.
Tito Jackson was the last of the nine Jackson siblings to release a solo project with his 2016 debut, “Tito Time.” He released a song in 2017, “One Way Street,” and told the AP in 2019 that he was working on a sophomore album.
Jackson said he purposely held back from pursuing a solo career, because he wanted to focus on raising his three sons: TJ, Taj and Taryll, who formed their own music group 3T. Jackson's website offers a link to a single featuring 3T and Stevie Wonder titled, “Love One Another.”
Tito Jackson also is survived by his brothers Jermaine, Randy, Marlon and Jackie, his sisters Janet, Rebbie and Latoya and their mother, Katherine. Their father died in 2018.
Jackson's death was first reported by Entertainment Tonight.
FILE - Pop star Michael Jackson, center, his mother Katherine Jackson, right, and brother Tito Jackson, left, leave Santa Barbara County Superior Court in Santa Maria, Calif., April 7, 2005, after another day of testimony in Michael Jackson's child molestation trial. (AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian, File)
FILE - From left, brothers Jackie Jackson, Tito Jackson, Jermaine Jackson and Marlon Jackson pose for a portrait together in Beverly Hills, Calif., Dec. 9, 2009. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)
FILE - Singer Tito Jackson arrives at the opening night of, "Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour," in Los Angeles, Jan. 27, 2012. (AP Photo/Dan Steinberg, File)
FILE - The Jackson 5, Michael Jackson, front right; Marlon Jackson, front left; Tito Jackson, back left; Jackie Jackson, back center; and Jermaine Jackson, back right; pose for this undated photo together in Los Angeles. (AP Photo, File)
FILE - Tito Jackson, a member of the famed Jackson 5, poses for a portrait in Los Angeles, July 24, 2019, to promote his solo project, a new version of his 2017 song "One Way Street." (Photo by Mark Von Holden/Invision/AP, File)
