Sydney:

A New Zealand charity apologised on Wednesday for distributing dozens of pineapple-flavoured candies that were found to be laced with potentially lethal amounts of methamphetamine.

The Auckland City Mission, that donates parcels of essentials to New Zealanders who cannot afford food, said it first became aware of the issue on Tuesday afternoon when some recipients complained about the foul-tasting candies.

Three people – a child, a teenager and a charity worker – sought medical treatment after tasting the boiled sweets, though none are currently in hospital, Detective Inspector Glenn Baldwin from Auckland police told reporters.

There was no suggestion of wrongdoing by the charity, he added.

“To say we are devastated is an understatement,” the Mission said in a statement.

The candy, which was donated by an unknown member of the public, was tested by the New Zealand Drug Foundation charity, which found they contained a potentially lethal 3 grams (0.1 oz)of methamphetamine.

“A common dose to swallow is between 10-25mg, so this contaminated lolly contained up to 300 doses,” said foundation Executive Director Sarah Helm.

Police believed the candies were the by product of an international drug trafficking operation and have called for them to be handed them over to the authorities. They are also investigating how the candies entered the country, Baldwin said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Denpasar:

An Australian man faces up to 20 years in prison on the resort island of Bali and a fine of more than $600,000 for allegedly attempting to sell crystal meth, police said Monday.

Indonesian police said the 49-year-old suspect — named by his initials TAS and identified by Australian media as Troy Smith — was arrested on April 30 at his hotel on the popular tourist island.

He was allegedly found with 3.19 grams of crystal methamphetamine and his wife, a foreign national only identified by her initials TIM, was also held but found not to be involved.
Smith was charged with a “drug transaction”, which means offering to sell or become a broker of narcotics, Ponco Indriyo, Bali police deputy director of drugs investigation told a news conference.

The charge carries a maximum prison sentence of 20 years and a fine of 10 billion rupiah ($622,000).
Smith was also charged with drug possession, which carries a lower maximum sentence of 12 years in prison and a maximum fine of 8 billion rupiah.

Authorities made him take a urine test which came back positive for meth, the police official said.
The suspect had received a package carrying the meth sent by a friend in Australia, Indriyo said.

A Bali police press statement said the package contained “one Colgate toothpaste tube containing 3.15 grams of alleged crystal meth”.

Smith did not appear at the press conference but authorities in Indonesia typically parade drug suspects to the media.

But there was no evidence his wife TIM — named as Tracy Ijusa in Australian media reports — was involved, Indriyo said.

Indonesia has some of the world’s toughest drug laws including the death penalty for traffickers.
There are dozens of traffickers on death row in Indonesia, including a cocaine-smuggling British grandmother and a Philippine woman accused of smuggling heroin.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)