The child innocently took a bag of Haribo sweets to show friends at Southdown Junior School in Newhaven, East Sussex, unaware that there was a stash of the Class A substance hidden inside.

Her teacher took the wrap - which the girl had thought was a bag of sherbet - and contacted police.

Officers went to the girl's father's £200,000 house where they found 100 wraps of a suspected Class A substance and arrested a 31-year-old man on suspicion of drug dealing.

Parents at the girl's school have been told about the incident while other pupils are being taught about the dangers of drugs.

The girl, who cannot be identified, has been sent to live with her mother with monitoring from social services.

A father of one of the pupils at the school said: 'You teach your kids about taking sweets from strangers but don't expect them to be in danger from eating sweets offered by other children at school.

'I don't want to be wondering if my boy is being handed drugs in the playground.'

Another mother of two told The Sun: 'Drug dealing is evil enough but for a dealer to disguise his drugs in a packet of sweets with children in the house is so irresponsible it beggars belief.

'She or a friend could have taken the drugs and died.' Read More