A Kansas City discount store inadvertently sold Barbie dolls with potent drugs concealed in the packaging over the weekend. 

One family discovered a mysterious white powder when they opened the box to a Barbie their daughter had picked out in Cargo Largo, a discount store in KC suburb Independence, Missouri. 

“When he opened it with a knife it was like, poof, in the car,” the girl’s mother told Fox 4. “We were like: what is that?” 

The store’s security notified the Independence Police Department of the suspicious substance on Saturday morning. IPD’s investigation uncovered fentanyl, an often fatal opioid, was taped into the hallowed-out cardboard backing of five Barbie packages.

Another family bought a contaminated doll for their daughter but didn’t know it was contaminated until three days later. The girl tried to open the box herself but thankfully needed help, the mother told KMBC.

Police called the family and dug through the trash until they found the Barbie package, where they discovered a drug amount “more than enough to kill my whole house,” the mother said. 

“That was in my house; that was in my child’s hands,” she grieved. 

“We actually lost my husband’s brother to fentanyl overdose like three years ago, so it really hits home; it keeps hitting home over and over again and it just shows you how big this epidemic is.”

Cargo Largo said further testing revealed the substance was cocaine with traces of fentanyl in it. All five Barbie packages were recovered and no injuries were reported. 

“The Independence Police Department (IPD) Drug Task Force has confirmed that all items from the shipment were recovered and there is no ongoing risk to team members or public,” the store released in a comment. 

IPD K-9 units Maddox, Blitz and Vinnie searched Cargo Largo’s store and warehouse on Monday and “no risks were identified.” Moving forward, the store plans to schedule regular inspections to preserve a safe environment. 

“This partnership is a win-win: the K-9s get valuable training in a real-world environment to keep their skills sharp, and we get an expert ‘all-clear’ to ensure our space remains safe for associates and customers,” Cargo Largo writes. “Going forward, these teams will be training in our buildings regularly as part of our commitment to safety.”

This is still an active investigation according to IPD. 

(Photo by Julee Juu, Unsplash)