A Maine man has been indicted for lacing ice cream with THC that was consumed by several people at a cafe in New Hampshire last year.
Marc Flore, 43, was indicted on one count of tampering with consumer products, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for New Hampshire. He is scheduled to appear in federal court in Concord at a later date.
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According to court documents, Flore laced a batch of coffee Oreo flavored ice cream with tetrahydrocannabinol and stored it with other batches of ice cream in a freezer at the Roots Local Cafe and Catering in Newmarket, where the ice cream was then sold to consumers in March of 2023.
Several people -- including a child -- became ill after eating it and later tested positive for THC.
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The charge of tampering with consumer products carries a sentence of up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The Food and Drug Administration's Office of Criminal Investigations led the investigation, with assistance from Newmarket police.
Police in Newmarket, New Hampshire, said several people -- including a child -- who ate ice cream from a local shop last weekend became ill and later tested positive for THC.
On Friday, March 17, and Saturday, March 18, Newmarket police said several unrelated patrons began checking themselves into regional hospitals for "multiple adverse symptoms," including severe dizziness, weakness and exceptionally high heart rates after consuming Antgelo's Amore brand ice cream at Roots Local Cafe and Catering on Main Street.
Some of the people tested positive for THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, the primary psychoactive component in marijuana, hashish, and other preparations derived from cannabis, police said.
One of the victims remained in the hospital overnight for observation, and another victim was a child. All of them have since recovered, according to police.
The owners of Roots Cafe posted a message on their Facebook page in the wake of the incident saying they were cooperating with police and all of the affected ice cream has been removed from their store.
"Roots Cafe is no longer getting ice cream from Angelo Amore's and is cooperating fully with all involved," they said. "We cannot believe or understand how this happened. Angelo's Amore is no longer in business and Roots Cafe had no part in making of this ice cream. We are saddened by this news for those involved, as well as outraged that this could happen to anyone. We are fully cooperating with the Police and assure you that all his ice cream has been removed from this store. Our deepest apologies to all involved and we promise we will do everything in our power to make sure this never happens to anyone ever again."
Roots Cafe switched to a new ice cream provider, Memories Ice Cream in Kingston, in the wake of the incident.
