Who’s behind fake $100 bills with white powder that made people sick in Irvine? – NBC Los Angeles

Authorities are investigating after counterfeit $100 bills, containing a white powder, were found inside an Irvine grocery store, leaving two employees feeling dizzy.

The fake bills were found inside and around an Albertsons store, prompting a hazmat response and raising concerns among shoppers.

Irvine police said the first incident happened last Saturday inside the produce section as two employees discovered the bills on the ground and turned them over to their manager. Shortly after, they reported feeling dizzy.

“Our partners from the Orange County Fire Authority responded and determined they were OK but were sent to the hospital on their own as a precautionary measure,” said Ziggy Azarcon from the Irvine Police Department.

Testing revealed the bills had traces of ephedrine, which is a medication used to treat hypotension, according to the National Institutes of Health.

But the substance can be used to make methamphetamine, according to Bobby Tagavin, a former prosecutor with Orange County and current managing partner with Sweet James.

“It’s a crime to have both counterfeit bills and also lace it with a drug, whether legal or illegal, to try to hurt someone because it could hurt somebody,” Tagavin said.

Irvine police received another report from the same store earlier this week after a shopper found the counterfeit bills inside a shopping cart outside the supermarket.

The bills are now being tested at a crime lab, Azarcon said as he urged the public to use caution.

“Be careful if you’re going to be picking something up. If something doesn’t seem right, call your local authorities so we can check it out,” he said.

Albertsons told NBC Los Angeles that it is fully cooperating with law enforcement’s investigation.