A four-year-old girl was caught inadvertently handing out cocaine to her classmates.
The youngster dished 16 small packets to fellow pupils.
They thought the substance was sherbet, but it was later confirmed to be the Class A drug.
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The case was discovered when a young student told the teacher that she had been handed a package with a “bad taste”.
The teacher found six other packets in the girl’s backpack and another nine under the chair where she was sitting.
Seven were sealed and eight were partially consumed.
When questioned, the girl said her father gave her the substance.
While the teacher was calling the authorities, the girl’s father arrived at the school and snatched one of the packets from her hand, according to reports.
He then ran out of the school and called his brother to pick up his daughter.
The authorities then arrived at the school, on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, last Friday (21 Mar).
The girl’s uncle arrived and was allegedly rude to the child protection counsellors providing assistance to the affected students.
He took the girl out of the school despite being told not to and was arrested by the police.
Lt Adenilson de Oliveira Rocha said: “The Military Police worked together with the Civil Police and, as soon as we got hold of this substance, we sent it for analysis and the expert report confirmed it was cocaine.”
Eighteen students were sent to a nearby hospital to undergo tests.
Two tests were inconclusive and the others came up negative for cocaine toxicity.
The police carried out a raid on a nearby home the following night.
Officers seized 300 packets of cocaine similar to those found in the school, according to the authorities.
They also confiscated six bags of cannabis and two mobile phones.
A 21-year-old man was arrested for drug trafficking at the scene, as reported by Need To Know.
The suspect told officers that he sold each packet for £4 (BRL 30).
The police have yet to reveal the suspect’s identity.
The investigation continues.
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