Meth candy arrest spurs cops’ Halloween drug warning in Georgia
Police in Georgia are warning parents to be watchful with Halloween candy after methamphetamine pills that looked like candy were discovered in the community.
Dublin police wrote in an Oct. 22 Facebook post that the candies were “stamped” so they would resemble popular children’s candy brands. Authorities updated the Facebook post on Oct. 29 and explained that the candies had been seized by police on Oct. 19.
According to a police report, Omegus LaFrank Coverson was arrested on charges of possessing and intending to distribute the meth, which resembled SweeTarts or Flintstones’s vitamins, WGXA reports. He also faces marijuana and drug-related object charges. The drugs were discovered during a search of Coverson’s home, police said.
Jail officials said Coverson was released from custody on Oct. 21, WGXA reports
Authorities said children rarely ingest candy-shaped drugs — but it’s not unheard of for children to encounter drugs trick-or-treating, either.
“While it is not a custom of drug dealers to target children, officers of the department took the initiative to send out a public awareness announcement in order to educate our community as to the existence of this type of drug and its resemblance to children’s candy,” Dublin police said in the updated Facebook post.
Some Facebook users questioned the need for a warning at all.
“Any proof that anyone has any intention of passing these out to kids?” one commenter asked on the post, which has been shared hundreds of times. “This is going viral, guys.”
Police in Galion, Ohio, are testing Halloween candy for drugs after a boy who went trick-or-treating Sunday had a seizure, went to a hospital and tested positive for meth, 10TV reports. And last year a Wisconsin family found a baggie of white powder in a child’s trick-or-treating candy, which turned out to be meth, McClatchy reported.
The child in the Wisconsin incident didn’t ingest the drugs.
Police explained that one reason “illegal drug dealers ‘stamp’ or form their pills to look like candy is to evade detection by law enforcement.”
This story was originally published October 29, 2018 at 5:25 PM with the headline "Meth candy arrest spurs cops’ Halloween drug warning in Georgia."