Twelve store owners in Chinatown have been arrested for selling a highly concentrated form of rat poison. Yesterday, authorities announced details of a five month investigation into the sale of illegal pesticides. During the undercover operation 6,000 packages of rat and cockroach poison were seized from shops on East Broadway, Mott Street and other locations.
The investigation began last year after a woman bought a small vial in the East Broadway Mall. It came in a yellow and blue box (see above) and the label read, “the cat be unemployed.” According to the New York Times, the woman “mistook the pesticide for medicine, consumed it and became seriously ill, losing two-thirds of her blood volume.”
Authorities said they’re especially concerned about children coming in contact with the illegal pesticides.
Ten of the suspects were charged in state court and face multiple misdemeanor charges. It’s believed the pesticides are smuggled from China, but officials are still trying to track down the exact source of the banned poison.
Yet the authorities put flouride in our water?