Drug-laced chips seen in handout images from the Warren Police Department in Michigan confiscated during a search warrant at a home just days before Halloween in October 2025.
Drug-laced candy seen in handout images from the Warren Police Department in Michigan confiscated during a search warrant at a home just days before Halloween in October 2025.
Drug-laced candy seen in handout images from Warren Police Department in Michigan. The items were confiscated during a search warrant at a home just days before Halloween 2025.

Just days before Halloween, law enforcement issued a public warning after police said they confiscated drug-laced candy and snacks during a search warrant at a Michigan home.

From Airheads and Jolly Ranchers to Doritos and Chester's Flamin Hot Fries, officers with the Warren Police Department reported that their agency, on Thursday, Oct. 23, discovered counterfeit candy and snacks containing THC and hallucinogenic mushrooms at a suburban Detroit home.

THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, is the compound in marijuana that makes users feel high.

The home in the city of Warren is in Macomb County, about 20 miles from downtown Motor City.

"The items in question contain THC and are simply packaged to look like genuine products which have the potential to be confused especially by children (or adults) around Halloween," Lieutenant John Gajewski told USA TODAY on Thursday, Oct. 30.

A man, whose identity was not released by police, was arrested at the scene, Gajweski said.

"We did make an arrest in the case but it was for charges unrelated to these items as in Michigan, an adult can legally purchase and possess these THC items."

The Detroit Free Press, part of the USA TODAY Network, reported the agency seized "just under 20 packages of such products."

Warren Police Commissioner Eric Hawkins said the investigation revealed some candies and snacks were "deliberately made to look like everyday treats, but actually contained dangerous substances."

"We’re grateful to have removed these items before they could fall into the hands of children," the chief said in a press release sent to USA TODAY on Thursday, Oct. 30. "This serves as an important reminder for families to carefully inspect all Halloween treats and to prioritize safety this season."

No evidence of 'some nefarious purpose,' police say

"There is no evidence that these were intended to be distributed to children on Halloween for some nefarious purpose," Gajweski said.

As of Thursday, Oct. 30, Gajweski said its agency had not received any reports of children eating THC or other "laced" Halloween candy.

"We have had reports in the past not related to Halloween but they are rare," the police lieutenant said.

Police emphasized the public should not worry about those items purchased online or at retailers.

"To be clear, we are not reporting that authentic products (IE regular Doritos) were tampered with or 'laced' with THC," Gajweski said. "Some on social media have confused this so I wanted to make there was no confusion. "

Contributing: Christina Hall, Detroit Free Press

Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Drug-laced candy disguised as name brands found by police before Halloween

Reporting by Natalie Neysa Alund, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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