Drugs-in-sweets scare just a scam

A scare about the distribution of sweets laced with drugs to children near schools in Malta is just an e-mail scam, a spokesman for the Ministry of Education insists.

Originating in the US, the e-mail reached Malta after making the rounds in various countries, the spokesman said.

In recent days, children attending a government school in Rabat were handed a circular by the school administration warning about the distribution of such sweets. The children were told to give the circular to their parents.

The spokesman said the ministry was aware of the e-mail and enquiries by Appoġġ agency showed that the scare was a false alarm.

Investigations by the police and the health authorities confirmed this and checks with Mater Dei Hospital made sure that no children of school age were admitted for treatment suffering from drug symptoms.

"It was a scam which, however, appeared realistic and the headmaster acted in good faith to protect the children," the spokesman said.

Sources said the scare started after a parent of two children, one attending a Church school, where the e-mail was originally received, and the other attending the Rabat school, informed the administration of the Rabat school.

Though the administration was obliged to inform the authorities before issuing the circular, the head of school lost no time in issuing the warning to protect the children against the danger of drugs, the sources added.

The circular to parents said that sweets, probably strawberry sweets but possibly also chocolate, peanut butter, cherry, grape or orange flavoured, were being distributed near schools in various parts of Malta. It informed parents to warn their children not to accept sweets from anyone.

Though this time the scare was a scam, the advice to children not to accept anything from strangers is as valid as ever.