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'Ebola meth'? Police joke nets at least 1 arrest

'Ebola meth'? Police joke nets at least 1 arrest
Posted at 3:06 PM, Mar 28, 2016
and last updated 2016-03-28 16:18:52-04

DALLAS (AP) -- The joke has shown up on police department Facebook pages in at least two states: Anyone in possession of methamphetamine or other illegal drugs should stop by the police station for testing because the drugs might somehow contain Ebola.

In Granite Shoals, Texas, one such post was shared thousands of times and even netted an arrest, which the local police department then reported on its Facebook page.

The police chief of one Louisiana department said Monday that he heard from several people who thought his department's post was serious.

Police say threats about "Ebola meth" are a fun, harmless version of bait cars or other stings they set up to catch criminals in the act, even if the joke alludes to what was once an actual global public health crisis.