INDEPENDENCE, Mo. — A suspected fentanyl contamination inside Barbie doll packaging prompted a police investigation in Missouri after a customer discovered a white powder substance, authorities said.
Barbies containing fentanyl inside packaging sold (KCTV, INDEPENDENCE POLICE DEPARTMENT, CNN via CNN Newsource)
Independence police said officers were called after store security reported the suspicious substance. Tests indicated the powder was fentanyl.
Investigators said the packaging appeared to have been tampered with, with the substance taped inside the back of the packaging, according to KCTV. The dolls themselves were not affected.
The case began when a customer returned to the store after noticing the powder.
“When [my husband] opened it with a knife, it was like, poof, in the car,” Jade Adams told WDAF. “We were like, ‘What is that?’”
Adams said her family alerted the store, prompting employees to remove additional items for inspection.
“They could have dusted that all over themselves, their house,” she said. “That’s terrifying.”
Police said five packages were identified as compromised and all have since been recovered.
“There is no reason to believe compromised units were sent to other retailers and no injuries have been reported,” police said.
Police spokesperson Bryan Conley said the contamination likely occurred before the products reached the store and noted similar methods have been used to conceal drugs.