Police in Brandon are investigating after a box of chocolates in a food hamper was found to have drugs inside.
A client from Samaritan House Ministries opened the Toffifee box on Wednesday only to discover it contained two small bags, one containing approximately one gram of cannabis and the other containing one gram of methamphetamine, Brandon police said.
Heather Symbalisty, the executive assistant at Samaritan House, said the person who opened the chocolate box was immediately concerned and reached out to the shelter, as well as police.
“They were in shock regarding it because they were looking forward to consuming the item and they weren’t able to,” Symbalisty told CBC News on Thursday.
She said no other items in the client’s monthly hamper were compromised as a result of the drugs.
Employees at the shelter no longer pack the hampers. Instead, a staff member goes with clients as they select items from the shelves inside the shelter’s warehouse.
Brandon police say they’re investigating after drugs were found in chocolates that had been donated to Samaritan House. Police say they received the report Wednesday, but it’s not known when the chocolates were donated.
Symbalisty isn’t sure how or when the box of chocolates was donated to the shelter, but she hopes it was done by accident.
“Safety for the client and our staff is paramount to everything, and we take this very seriously,” she said.
Symbalisty believes this is the first time an incident like this has occurred at Samaritan House, but the shelter isn’t taking any chances. A police dog is coming to the shelter’s warehouse to ensure no other drugs have been accidentally or purposefully donated, she said.
The client is still shaken but feeling better a day after the discovery, she said.
“It is a shocking matter for all of us that are involved, and we just want to work with everyone to resolve this matter so it never happens again,” Symbalisty said.
Police have the drugs and their investigation into how and when the drugs came to the shelter is continuing. Police also reminded people to please check all donated food and contact them if any illicit drugs are found.