PHILADELPHIA — Police arrested a Philadelphia man who they say was selling drug-laced treats to children.
Police in Montgomery County arrested Quashon Rice on felony drug trafficking charges, WPVI reported. Rice is accused of making edibles and delivering them to kids as young as 11.
Detectives told WTXF that they started investigating after a middle school student got sick after eating a Rice Krispy treat that was laced with drugs. The student did not know there were drugs in the food, which was given to him by another student.
The second student allegedly confessed to buying the drug-laced food from an Instagram account that police say was run by Rice, WPVI reported. Officials told the station that Rice used multiple Instagram accounts, including “top2treats” and “toptreatz4.”
Investigators said Rice was communicating with the student dealer and other children, quoting specific prices and delivery fees, WCAU reported. Court documents obtained by the station indicate Rice was selling a variety of foods, including Fruity Pebbles bars, cookies, brownies and Cinnamon Toast Crunch bars.
Detectives told WTXF that Rice was not only selling to children, but he was soliciting them to help him sell the edibles for a discount.
“This defendant was targeting children as young as 11 years old to sell his drugs to, imbedding drugs in cereals and snack products that appeal to children,” Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele said in a statement. “He then sold them where children are — on social media, specifically Instagram, where he would show the product as well as provide step-by-step instructions for how the kids could order the edibles and have them delivered.”
Steele said that when officers arrested Rice, they found a ghost gun, materials used to make the edibles, approximately 40 packaged edibles and 10 bags of packaged marijuana in counterfeit commercial packaging.
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