Mexican Authorities Seize 10,000 Gallons Of Tainted Alcohol
by Jessica Montevago
Mexican regulators raided nearly three dozen restaurants, resorts and nightclubs suspected of carrying illegal alcohol in Cancun and Playa del Carmen this past weekend, and seized 10,000 gallons of bootleg alcohol from an unnamed manufacturing company, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.
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The alcohol seized from Kukulkan, the lobby bar at Iberostar Paraiso Maya, was expired and unlabeled and kept in unsanitary conditions, according to the Journal Sentinel.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the Ibersotar Hotels & Resorts said: “It is important to clarify that the closure of this one bar was the result of sanitary compliance (for instance a trash container lid missing, leak from ice machine, etc.), not related to tainted alcohol allegations. We are diligently working to resolve the issues pointed by the inspector and expect another evaluation within the next several days so that this bar’s operations can be fully restored.”
Authorities also temporarily shut down Fat Tuesday, a bar located in Cancun.
The investigation comes after a 20-year-old tourist drowned in a shallow pool at the Paraiso del Mar and her brother was sickened; the family claimed the cause was tainted alcohol.
Mexico’s Federal Commission for Protection Against Sanitary Risks earlier this month said lab tests on the alcohol showed no signs of tampering, and Mexican authorities did not indicate whether they will bring criminal charges against the hotel or if they are investigating the circumstances, the Journal Sentinel reported.
Following the death, the newspaper reported more than a dozen cases of travelers getting sick or blacking out after drinking a small or moderate amount of alcohol at Mexican resorts.
“We will continue to enforce these sanitary measures and will continue to be vigilant to make sure our tourists are confident that the alcohol they are drinking is safe…and they can have a safe and healthy family vacation,” Mexican commissioner of sanitary operations Alvaro Perez said at a press conference.
Plans to improve the control and inspection of alcohol served at resorts will be introduced in September.
