Community Alert: Boston Police Investigating Package Tampering in South Bay

From BPD News

Community Alert: On Wednesday, February 3, 2021, a concerned citizen notified Boston Police that earlier in the day they purchased Flintstone Chewable tablets at Target (located at 7 Allstate Road, Dorchester) and when she arrived home, she discovered that the bottle contained various other pills and tablets.

The victim stated she noticed that the packaging looked as though it may have been tampered with, and when she opened the bottle, she discovered that the protective seal had been broken. The victim looked into the bottle and saw that it actually contained multiple pills and capsules of various sizes and colors.

The officer recovered the bottle and its contents. Target was contacted, and all of the remaining Flintstone Tablets were removed from the aisle.

The Boston Police Department is actively investigating the facts and circumstances surrounding this incident. Anyone with information relative to the above incident is asked to contact BPD District C-6 (South Boston) Detectives at (617) 343-4742.

Community members wishing to assist this investigation anonymously can do so by calling the CrimeStoppers Tip Line at 1 (800) 494-TIPS or by texting the word ‘TIP’ to CRIME (27463). The Boston Police Department will stringently guard and protect the identities of all those who wish to help this investigation in an anonymous manner.

The Boston Police Department reminds people of the importance of inspecting the outer packaging of a product before you purchase it, and after the purchase be sure to inspect the inner packaging before using. Please do not take any medicines that show any signs of possible tampering.

Common Signs of Packaging Tampering

• Any breaks, holes or cracks in either the outer or inner wrapping or in the protective seal

• Outer or inner coverings that look like they may have been replaced or unwrapped

• A stretching of the outermost plastic wrap around the top of the bottle

• A loose-fitting cap, or a cap where the bottom seal is no longer intact

• The cotton filler in the bottle looks like it is may be torn, stained or sticky

• The expiration date or lot number on the outside box doesn’t match the expiration on the bottle inside

Tablets and Capsule Safety

• Make sure the tablets or capsules inside the bottle look as they should

• Look out for tablets or capsules have a strange odor

• Be aware of differences in size and thickness, and of broken tablets or capsules that are cracked or dented