GRAND RAPIDS, Mich — Tony Singh, the owner of the BP gas station on M.L.K. Jr. Street SE and Eastern Avenue SE in Grand Rapids, apologized to the community Wednesday. This follows claims a gas station clerk was selling pills in candy bags inside the store.
"I just want to apologize to the community," said Singh. "I apologize to the kid's mother, and all communities. That accidentally happened. It was nothing personal. And we’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again."
Singh said the clerk was fired. The clerk had worked there a couple of months, and Singh said he never had a problem with him before.
A protest at the gas station took place Tuesday evening after Kent County Commissioner Robert S. Womack claimed on Facebook the clerk was selling pills in candy bags at the store.
Grand Rapids Police explained the clerk was bagging up candy to sell it on Monday night when he dropped his diabetes medication in some of the bags. He believed he recovered all of them but missed a couple of bags, which were inadvertently sold.
Singh said the incident was all an accident as well, as the clerk had trouble opening his medication bottle, and some spilled out into the candy bags. He said the bags are bulk penny candy, which they repackage into smaller bags for the children to buy.
"They’re the big bags, about five-pound bags," said Singh. "Nobody going to buy a five-pound bag. So, we just mix four or five different flavors and repackage it so they can eat it. It’s wrapped candy, not open candy."
Officers were called to the scene by a mother who had candy bags from the gas station and found the pills. Police spoke with the clerk, who had a bottle for the same medication in the bags with his name on it.
The pills were confirmed to be diabetes medication through a pill identifier. Police say they are not a scheduled controlled substance, and would not have an effect on anyone that does not have a diabetic condition.
GRPD is not pursuing charges at this time. The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) inspectors were at the station looking into the situation Wednesday morning.
A spokesperson for MDARD said the owner is cooperating with MDARD investigators. Repackaging bilk items into smaller bags is legal if it is properly labeled and meets other requirements.
From photos, MDARD cannot determine whether the bags were properly labeled at the time of sale. They seized all remaining bags of prepackaged candy for misbranding and issued a license limitation for lack of adequate facilities to properly and safely repack bulk candy. They will follow up to monitor the situation.
Singh said the inspectors told them to throw away all the bagged candy, which they had already done. He said the inspector was "fine with that."
Singh said his family has owned the BP gas station for the past 22 years, and he deeply respects the community and neighborhood.
RELATED VIDEO: Grand Rapids gas station clerk accidentally puts meds in candy bags for sale, causes protest
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