Grand Theft Auto is supposed to give players a taste of the underworld, but one mother says that the used copy that she bought for her son at GameStop went a little too far, with a small bag of methamphetamine inside the case. Now she’s warning other parents to check used video games for things that don’t belong in the cases.
Her son and daughter are 11 and three years old, respectively, and she’s grateful that it was her son who noticed the little bag inside his video game’s case.
“My son’s old enough to know to throw it away or bring it to an adult,” she told WCTV. Her big concern is that it could have been found by her toddler daughter. Fortunately, it was her brother who flipped through the pages of the booklet that came with his new game first.
The local sheriff’s department tested the mystery substance, and their field tests confirmed that it was meth. (Field tests have also confirmed that kitty litter is meth, though, so take that with a grain of salt. Or a grain of kitty litter.)
This is not the first time that this same scenario has happened. Back in September, a child, who also happened to be an 11-year-old boy, bought a game at a GameStop in Louisiana that came with a tiny bag of meth.
Stores are supposed to check used games when they’re traded in and also check games shipped from other stores before they go out on the shelf, but that system clearly didn’t work here, or employees failed to check inside the booklets.
In a statement to media outlets, GameStop corporate said:
“We work diligently to ensure the quality of our pre-owned items are like new. Unfortunately, in this circumstance our thorough process fell short. We are extremely concerned that this incident occurred, and are working with the local police department to support them in their investigation.”
by Laura Northrup via Consumerist