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A mother in Missouri was alarmed to find fentanyl hidden inside the packaging of a Barbie doll she had bought for her children.
According to the Independence Police Department (IPD), security at the discount store Cargo Largo reported a “suspicious powder substance” found in Barbie doll packaging on the morning of Saturday, March 21. The dolls had been sold between March 19 and 20, KSHB-TV reported, citing the police.
“IPD determined the substance was fentanyl and immediately launched an investigation with Cargo Largo to identify how many compromised units were sold,” the department said in a Facebook post. They eventually confirmed that five dolls were affected.
Jade Adams, the mother who discovered the substance, recounted the frightening moment. “When [my husband] opened it with a knife, it was like, poof, in the car. We were like, ‘What is that?’” she told WDAF.
Adams said her mother returned the doll to Cargo Largo and urged staff to inspect all Barbie dolls in the store. “They filled an entire cart with these Barbies and took them to security, saying, ‘You need to check all of these,’” Adams told WDAF.
The IPD confirmed that all five contaminated Barbie products have since been recovered by the police and a suspect is in custody in connection with the compromised units.
The suspect’s identity has not been revealed at this time.
Adams is grateful that her children weren’t exposed to the substance.
“They could have dusted that all over themselves, their house, wherever they opened it,” she told WDAF. “Like, it’s not just me, it’s really just the kids for me. That’s my baby, that’s my last baby, that’s terrifying.”
