BELL GARDENS, Calif. -- Cocaine was found inside a putty ball toy that a boy bought at a Bell Gardens vending machine this week, police said.
The incident was reported Monday when the boy bought the toy at Taqueria Los Altos, 6939 Eastern Avenue, Bell Gardens Police said in a news release.
While the boy was playing with the toy, his mother noticed a powdery substance come out and she immediately called police.
The substance tested positive for cocaine, police said. About 136 grams of the drug was removed from the machine.
Police said the phone number on the machine returned to “Snack Time Vending,” and encourage other local businesses using the company’s toy or candy machines to call officials and remove them.
A woman who answered the phone at the company told the Los Angeles Times that they owned two other machines in the restaurant, but not the one that contained the cocaine.
“We’re getting a bad rap,” the woman told the newspaper.
It is unclear how the cocaine got in the toy and the machine.
