A fast-food restaurant worker in Oklahoma has been arrested this week after a customer allegedly found a small bag of drugs in their order, authorities said.
Bryce Francis has been booked on charges of distribution of a controlled substance within 2,000 feet of school and possession of a controlled substance, the Skiatook Police Department said in a news release.
Police went to the restaurant to speak with employees and then took Francis into custody. The department noted that he has been arrested, but not convicted of these charges.
“An individual made an order at the restaurant and when they received their order, they found a small baggy of drugs inside their bag,” according to the release. “Officers learned that the baggy had a crystalline substance inside of it that later field-tested positive for methamphetamine.”
Kimberly Okerson, who works as a public information officer at the Skiatook Police Department, told FOX23 that the suspect explained to her that he “made a stupid mistake” and was “trying to make some extra cash,” but he put the drugs in the wrong bag.
Okerson said the baggy contained a substantial amount of meth, about 4.3 grams, and was placed in the bag alongside the customer’s burger and fries.
“It’s a unique way to distribute drugs for a drug dealer,” she said. “I’ve never heard of somebody doing that before either … Obviously, it didn’t work out very well for him.”
As an advisory, the department urged people to be diligent and always check their orders when they get a prepared meal outside.
“When you go out to eat, please check the food, especially before consuming it or handing it to a child,” police said. “If you encounter anything like described in this incident, please contact us immediately!”
The fast-food company, Carl’s Jr. Restaurants LLC, has given the customer a new order to take home.
Methamphetamine, or meth, is a highly addictive stimulant that affects the central nervous system. The majority of meth in the United States is currently produced by cartels in Mexico and smuggled across the border.
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the number of American deaths involving psychostimulants—primarily methamphetamine—has increased each year for more than a decade.
In 2020, 23,837 people died of a drug overdose in this category alone, a massive increase compared to the year 1999 when U.S. deaths involving psychostimulants were reported to be 547 people.
