Snail pellets in the curry: Woman charged over alleged workplace poisoning

A curry shared among colleagues at an Oldbury workplace allegedly became the target of a poisoning attempt between morning tea and lunch, with a woman discovering bright green granules in the food before reporting numbness to her tongue.

Armadale Detectives have charged a 43 year old woman over the February incident, alleging the meal contained poisonous snail pellets.

Police say the accused and the 58 year old woman who brought the curry to work were in a personal relationship.

What happened between the two breaks

The police account begins on Thursday, 12 February 2026, when the older woman brought a container of curry to share with colleagues.

Employees ate some of the food during morning tea without issue.

Police allege that afterwards, the accused accessed a chemical storage shed before entering the staff lunchroom, where the curry was being kept.

At about midday, the woman returned to the container for lunch and noticed bright green granules in the remaining food.

After tasting a small amount, she experienced numbness to her tongue, according to police.

The food was retained and handed to investigators.

Detectives identify alleged contaminant

Armadale Detectives investigated the suspected contamination and allege the substance was snail pellets containing metaldehyde, which police described as poisonous.

The alleged movement between the chemical shed and lunchroom forms part of the police account of how the food was contaminated.

Police have not publicly detailed the evidence used to establish those movements or the method used to identify the substance.

Their announcement reports tongue numbness but does not disclose whether the woman required hospital treatment or experienced further symptoms.

Arrest at Golden Bay address

On Thursday, 8 October 2026, nearly eight months after the alleged incident, detectives arrested the accused at an address in Golden Bay.

The charge was publicly announced a week later, on 15 October 2026.

She faces one count of “Unlawful Act or Omission with Intent to Harm (Endangering the Life, Health or Safety of Any Person)”.

Police have not disclosed a motive beyond identifying the alleged personal relationship between the women.

The accused is scheduled to appear at Armadale Magistrates Court on 5 November 2026.

No plea has been publicly reported in the material reviewed. The allegations remain to be determined by the court.