If you're a fan of
Hershey's chocolates beware - there could be a bad batch contaminated with
salmonella sitting on some store shelves without your knowledge. It all stems from a bizarre crime that Toronto Police alleged was committed by two men accused of carting off the tainted confections and re-selling them. It supposedly started last fall, when Hershey's originally recalled the candies after discovering the apparent contamination at its
Smith's Falls plant.
They hired
Turtle Island Recycling Depot on Cherry St. to get rid of them and several pallets of the goodies were destined for a truck on their way to a disposal. But cops allege the two men, one of whom was a Turtle Island employee, intercepted some of the treats and they may have been sold to retailers.
"I think this is a crime of opportunity," said Det. Sgt. John Babiar. "People have seen this chocolate that appears to be destined for destruction, but they were unaware of their risk."
"We estimate that there were approximately 40,000 bars." But only a few of those may have actually reached stores.
Hershey's has now been forced to recall the products in question as the hunt for the potentially dangerous candy continues.
"I suspect that they would have been resold at a very discounted rate to either individuals or diverted for their own personal use," Babiar adds.
In the meantime, Hershey released a statement Tuesday.
"Product quality and safety are our top priorities, and we are taking this matter very seriously," said Company spokesperson, Kirk Saville. "This incident involves product that was recalled last year. We have no evidence that any product other than the items recovered in the investigation ever left control of the recycling facility."
"It is extremely unlikely that any of the stolen product was distributed to retail outlets. We are cooperating with law enforcement officials to resolve this matter as quickly as possible."
So what should you look for? Batch numbers range from
6417 to
6455. The chances of you having the bad candies are slim, but officials can't take the risk. If you think they're in your store or your cupboard, don't eat them. Contact police instead at
(416) 808-5165.
Thirty-nine-year-old Adesh Roy Rambharack and 32-year-old Agampodi Desilva are charged with possession of property obtained by crime and theft.
"There was obviously a degree of preplanning to rent a rental vehicle and then load it up and drive it out," Babair said.