Police open criminal probe into drug-laced bread that sickened 40

[inanna]

Source: Los Angeles Times

Santa Ana police Friday opened a criminal investigation into circumstances surrounding bread from an Orange County bakery that was tentatively found to have been tainted with drugs and is suspected of sickening at least 40 people.

<snip>

Police were first notified by three hospitals Monday that about 20 people had come to their emergency rooms suffering from hallucinations and other symptoms, according to Santa Ana Police Cpl. Anthony Bertagna. He said none of them suffered serious enough symptoms to be admitted to the hospital.

<snip>

Police immediately sealed the bakery and notified Orange County health officials, who launched an investigation and closed the business Tuesday after finding traces of cockroach infestation, Bertagna said.

But preliminary lab results from product samples have indicated the presence of a synthetic drug, which Bertagna declined to further describe pending final lab results expected in a week or two.

Read more: http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-tainted-bread-20150109-story.html?track=rss&utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter&dlvrit=649324

[Downwinder]

1. Rye bread?

[Warpy]

2. They're saying it's synthetic so far

but my guess is that police testing isn't sophisticated enough to tell ergot from LSD.

[msongs]

3. oh no, witches! nt

[Downwinder]

4. Religious fervor.

[djean111]

7. No, Reyes means kings. All-purpose flour is likely the only flour ever used.

But, yeah, rye bread can have ergot, which would be v. bad indeed.

[Cha]

5. K&R.. :(

[jtuck004]

6. The circular-shaped Rosca de Reyes bread, typically baked with a baby Jesus figure inside, is eaten

to celebrate Three Kings Day."

Targeted at the religion? Or just a stupid criminal?

[Major Nikon]

9. The baby Jesus is crying

[Trillo]

8. Most bakers get their flour and other ingredients from bakery suppliers.

Bakery suppliers are not typical grocery stores. Flour typically comes in 50 lb bags, larger than most folks would care to purchase. While small amounts of flours can be purchased at grocery stores, there are a number of products or ingredients bakeries can purchase that are not available at grocery stores. Some of them are, indeed, chemicals. For example, "dough improver", products designed to alter the structure of the protein matrix so long fermentation periods are not needed to achieve a particular effect.

The source of the adulteration doesn't have to have been the bakery, though that is also a possibility. If the bakery is going to be shut down, ("cockroach infestation", really?) that suggests a guilt that isn't proven.

Health officials will keep the bakery closed until it disposes of all opened food and ingredients used to make the bread, completes professional restaurant-grade cleaning and provides mandatory food training to all staff.