The High Company's 'MDMA gummies' in Malta tested positive for a ketamine-like drug

The University of Malta's forensic laboratory issued a public warning after testing 'MDMA gummies' sold through the Wolt delivery platform: the sample contained 2-Fluorodeschloroketamine (2-FDCK), a dissociative relative of ketamine that was not listed anywhere on the packaging. Health experts warned the compound could cause seizures, heart problems and even death, and the lab confirmed a second psychoactive ingredient, muscimol, which was listed.

Wolt delisted the product, saying it 'will never be available for sale on our platform again', and said that given the lab findings and the labelling, such products shouldn't be sold at all. The platform's own handling drew scrutiny: the gummies were listed as age-restricted, yet when Times of Malta ordered them, no ID was checked on delivery — and the paper still found two sellers advertising the gummies the day after the warning.

The maker, Czech Republic-based The High Company, admitted the error. A spokesperson said the tested sample 'accidentally' came from a special batch made for a customer on request — 'a small leftover from this batch was packed by accident by our people' — adding: 'Something like this obviously cannot happen and we are the ones to blame for this mistake.' The company recalled all Maltese packages and promised replacement stock of the original muscimol recipe within a day.

The context made the episode a warning shot for a whole grey market. The product's packaging small print says it 'should not be sold for consumption' because it is not EU-approved, yet it was sold in 'edible' sections; the company's own website calls the gummies 'as close to the real thing as we can get' and says its testers are 'real party people and frequent users'. Clinical toxicologist Jeffrey Bonnici called the incident the tip of an iceberg — at least 600 synthetic cannabis products alone are on the market — and 2-FDCK is due to become a UN Schedule II controlled substance in December.

All Malta packages recalled within a day; Wolt delisted the 'MDMA gummies' permanently; the product heads into new UN controls as 2-FDCK joins Schedule II in December.

The company itself traced the contamination to its own packing line — a customer-specific 2-FDCK batch left over and packed into retail candy by mistake.

The product design courts disaster: ecstasy-themed branding, sale in 'edible' sections beside real sweets, and a small-print disclaimer instead of any child-resistant separation.

The age gate failed in practice — a newspaper order arrived with no ID check — so the platform's restricted-item controls existed on paper but not at the door.

Regulators and toxicologists used the case to press the wider point that new psychoactive substances flood shelves faster than the law schedules them.

A 'legal high' sold next to real candy is one packing error away from poisoning someone — novelty drug brands carry lab-grade consequences without lab-grade discipline.

By the next day The High Company said the contaminated batch should be out of Maltese circulation, with shops receiving the original muscimol-recipe product; Wolt has permanently delisted the gummies. Malta's health ministry noted that food supplements may only be dispensed by qualified persons and that 2-FDCK would be scheduled imminently under UN and EU decisions. Forensic scientist Godwin Sammut and toxicologist Jeffrey Bonnici both called for regular sampling of such products, warning of serious outcomes for children who mistake them for candy.