A package of crystal meth from Europe shut down a board of elections office in New York for hours this week.
The Dutchess County Board of Elections office shut down for three hours on Monday when officials discovered a suspicious package from Europe, sparking a hazmat team to respond to the office and investigate.
“It came in through UPS from Greece. Prior to Greece, the inner envelope had been around a few other countries as well including France and then UPS’ed to the Dutchess County Board of Elections,” Republican Elections Commissioner Erik Haight told the MidHudson News. “The FBI is involved and I know they will be working with the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office and State Police to determine who sent this to us and why.”
A bipartisan team of BOE employees flagged the suspicious package to commissioners, with the team then donning personal protective equipment to further investigate the package before calling law enforcement. The Dutchess County Hazmat team ultimately responded to the scene, according to a press release from the county’s board of elections.
“Dutchess County HAZMAT personnel, under the observation of the bi-partisan Elections Commissioners, examined the suspicious package. The substance was carefully removed from the envelope and tested with advanced chemical and gaseous identification equipment. HAZMAT personnel determined that the material was methamphetamine or more commonly known as ‘crystal meth,’” the press release explained.
Staffers who came into contact with the package have not “reported any symptoms,” the press released stated.