Adding to the list of reasons why you probably shouldn't buy Grand Theft Auto 5 for your underage children, illegal drugs have been found hidden inside the case of a used copy of the game. What's more, this isn't even the first time used GTA games have come with a little extra which, though thematically fitting, is more than the buyers had bargained for!
An eleven-year-old boy recently got up close and personal with the Businesses from Bikers after he found a tiny bag of methamphetamine tucked in between the pages of the manual of a used copy of GTA 5. The boy and the mother, who are from Havana, Florida, grabbed the used game from their local GameStop.
Upon returning home, the son decided to flip through the manual — because, you know, this is a game which actually came with a real manual, as opposed to those digital ones that are becoming prevalent — and tucked in between the pages detailing the vehicle control scheme was a small plastic bag full of a white substance.
Fortunately for all involved, the boy immediately showed the unlikely discovery to his mother, Kayla McAllister, who posted about the find on Facebook. They contacted the police, who then confirmed that the substance was indeed, meth.
Today i took my son to gamestop in Tallahassee to trade in games and get some new ones. When he opened the booklet inside one of the pre owned games he ( MY ELEVEN YEAR OLD SON!!!!!!!) found this. A baggie of fucking meth! Clearly the game was not properly checked when it was traded in and because of the carelessness i could have lost a child. Thankfully He brought it right to us and said what is this?
Kotaku first broke the story and they also acquired part of the police report into the matter. This case carries an eerie resemblance to a similar incident in September 2016. Then, in the city of Lake Charles, Louisiana, another eleven-year-old boy also found a bag of meth" title=""> inside a used game case. GameStop was the source of the game in that instance as well (although we don't know exactly which game it was).
Furthermore, in 2009, someone bought two used GTA games (which ones they were wasn't specified) and found 4 ecstasy tablets inside one of the cases. The buyer was a parent with two young children at the time, one of whom often used the family Xbox and could have easily found the drugs as well.
I have two children and my son plays Xbox all the time. He could easily have opened the box and found them. I dread to think what the consequences would have been if he had. He is only 12. He could have died.
These cases ought to be raising some serious questions. Is there a secret drug trafficking network operating within the used games industry? Are manuals really the best place to hide your meth? Should retailers screen used games more closely? Why are parents buying GTA for eleven-year-olds?
In all seriousness, these situations would have been significantly less perilous if, say, the parents had opted to not buy their kid an 18+ game. We're not saying that age restrictions need to be adhered to with zero tolerance — we've all played games meant for older groups in our time — but maybe GTA at age 11 is stretching things a tad.
We're not saying video games cause violence (because aside from a tiny number of outlying cases, they absolutely don't), but a child at that young an age would have a hard time understanding some of the things going on, as morality is still malleable at that time in a person's life. Plus, the rest of us don't much enjoy heisting with random squeakers, either.
Luckily each of these cases was resolved with tragedy averted. However, this is an indication that retailers like GameStop ought to pay more attention to the incoming used games. I mean, all it takes is for the clerk to flip through the manual once and boom, problem solved.
Additionally, in both cases involving GameStop, the retailer could not assist in the investigation as there was no way to track who traded in the used games carrying drugs. While more or less any form of tracking might be skirting privacy, it could be done in a discreet manner while still preventing these situations.
Of course, it's not like anyone can be expected to suspect used games of being used to store drugs, especially when they are traded in. What would possess someone to do that is beyond us, however the frequency of it happening is certainly alarming.
The internet is full of outlandish stories of botched used sales, such as someone buying a PlayStation 4 only to get an original PS4 box with two bags of rocks in it. Another case featured a scammer who apparently took pride in this 'art' and actually carved a piece of wood to the shape of a PS4. And then he drew a dick on it.
While the appeal of buying used at a cheaper price might be attractive many a time, at least when buying new you know that there won't be any surprises in the case after you get rid of the shrink wrap.
