Medication in Halloween goodies traced to woman in her 80s: police

Port Alberni RCMP traced two reports of medication being found in Halloween treats to the home of an elderly woman.

It turns out the woman, who is in her 80s and appeared to have mental issues, has been handing out an assortment of items including mittens, calculators and clocks — and Kinder Surprise egg-shaped containers that she thought had candy in them. In two cases, she gave out eggs that she had put medication inside.

In at least one instance it was antibiotics that were found.

Police arranged for the woman to be taken to hospital for treatment. There was no malice or ill intent in the woman’s actions, Port Alberni RCMP Cpl. Amelia Hayden said.

“Luckily no one was injured or got ill from these medications,” Hayden said. “Everyone’s safety is our top priority and luckily the parents were able to describe the area where their kids had received the Kinder Surprise eggs.

“This action allowed us to stop any more from being distributed and get the woman medical assistance.”

She said parents are encouraged to check their children’s candy carefully.

Anyone else who finds suspicious treats is asked to call Port Alberni RCMP at 250723-2424.

It was a similar situation last Halloween in James Bay, when parents told Victoria police that their children had been given a package of marijuana gummies at a Simcoe Street home. The package had an image of a marijuana leaf and the label Black Cherry Zzz Bomb — along with the warning: “Keep away from children and pets.”

“During the course of their investigation, officers determined that the occupant appeared to not be aware of safe Halloween practices and may not have been aware of what had been handed out,” police said in a statement at the time. “Officers instructed the resident to not hand out any more candy and to turn out the lights in the front of the house to deter further trick-or-treaters.”