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US girl, 4, hands out heroin at daycare - she thought it was candy

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A four-year-old girl handed out packets of heroin to friends at daycare in Delaware, thinking they were candy, US police said on Tuesday.

The girl's mother, Ashley Tull, 30, was charged on Monday with maintaining a drug property.

Police and medics were called to the Hickory Tree Child Care Center in Selbyville on Monday morning after staff saw children clutching small bags of white powder.

The powdery substance, which was still enclosed in the bags, was confiscated by teachers and taken to the local police department where it was confirmed as heroin.

Girl passed "candy" to classmates

Police said the girl had unwittingly brought the heroin to school in a backpack given to her by her mother after hers was destroyed by a family pet overnight.

The little girl thought the packets were candy and began passing them out to her classmates, police said.

Several children who came in contact with the unopened bags were taken to hospital as a precaution but were released.

In all, 249 bags of heroin weighing 3.735were found in the backpack, officers said.

Arrested

Tull was arrested and released after posting a US$6,000 (S$7,650) secure bond.

She has lost custody of her two daughters, aged four and 11​, and her son, 9.

Her three kids are staying with a relative. Tull has been served a no contact order.

Source: AFP

united statesdrugsarrestedday care