Now 29 victims dead from allegedly drinking tainted alcohol

By the A.M. Costa Rica staff

The Ministry of Health announced on Wednesday, the number of victims rose to 29 for allegedly drinking alcohol poisoned with methanol.

The three most recent victims were from Heredia*, Desamparados*, and downtown San José*.

The ministry has registered 76 people in medical treatment for suspected poisoning by drinking liquor with methanol. Of these, 29 people have already died, of those 22 were men and seven were women.

There were 26 Costa Ricans, one Nicaraguan, and two people whose nationality has not determined because they were homeless, according to the ministry.

So far, there have been no reports of foreign tourists being affected by the wave of deaths and illnesses.

Any store, bar, restaurant, supermarket, or any outlet which sells, stocks or uses those liquors, in any way, will be closed. "The people or companies that are producing or selling these liquors are to be sanctioned administratively and criminally," said the ministry in its statement.

The ministry reported the closure of 33 stores due to the sale of liquors banned for possible contamination with methanol. There were nine stores in Cartago*, fourteen in Limon*, five in San Jose, and five in Alajuela*.

Also, with the support of the Fiscal Control Police, 66,000 bottles of possibly tainted alcohol have been seized.


As A.M. Costa Rica has been reporting, the alert is for the sales of bottled liquor of the following nine brands: Chonete, Gran Apache, Red Star, Montano, Baron Rojo, Timbuka, Molotov, Cuerazo, and Sacheto.

"According to laboratory sample results, those brands were poisoned with methanol," said the ministry in its statement.

With additional research, the specialists found the rest of the brands listed above, which are also tainted with methanol.

According to specialists, some of these brands have permits for sale however, "it is suspected that counterfeit products of these brands are in the market," said the ministry in its statement.

Given the impossibility of distinguishing between original and fake liquors, and using the precautionary principle, an order to prohibit the sale or consumption of any of these liquors announced.

Police announced that officers continue with more liquor seizures.

Methanol, also known as methyl alcohol, originally was produced chiefly by the distillation of wood, hence the name wood alcohol.

Sometimes methanol is created accidentally by bootleggers who are trying to produce ethanol, the type of alcohol usually found in beer, wine, and liquor. Sometimes methanol is added to ethanol to boost its effect.

Methanol is toxic in two ways. First, methanol can be fatal due to effects on the central nervous system, acting as a depressant in the same manner as ethanol poisoning. Second, it metabolizes to form an acid that can cause blindness in those who drink it, as well as frequent deaths.

Because of its toxic properties, methanol was frequently used as a denaturant additive for ethanol manufactured for industrial uses to prevent the liquid from being used for drinking.

Symptoms can develop almost immediately after having drunk the liquor. They are rapid drunkenness, nausea, dizziness, vomiting, severe abdominal pain, severe headache, and lack of coordination.

Specialists make the following recommendations:

- Do not consume or buy the brands mentioned above until the alert is lifted.

- The sale of those brands is forbidden until the alert is lifted.

- If any person detects the sale of this product in any store, he or she must report the sale of this product to the local police. Complaints can also be made by phone (506) 2233-2854.

The A.M. Costa Rica team ask readers to share this alert among their contacts.


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Have you seen these brands of liquor being sold or traded in your community? We would like to know your thoughts on this story. Send your comments to news@amcostarica.com

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