3 Dead, 20 Hospitalized After Consuming Counterfeit Booze in Country Where Alcohol Sales Are Prohibited
Bootleg liquor claims three lives in Iran, and police have arrested four individuals believed to have been involved in selling it. (Photo: Sérgio Alves Santos/Unsplash)
In the aftermath of the 1979 Islamic Revolution, the prohibition of alcohol sales and consumption in Iran has given rise to a thriving illicit trade in bootleg products. This underground market has recently come under scrutiny as Iranian authorities apprehended four individuals suspected of peddling tainted bootleg alcohol, resulting in the deaths of at least three individuals, according to Iranian media outlets.
Saber Jafari, the prosecutor for the city of Maku in the northwestern province of West Azerbaijan, disclosed that the victims succumbed to alcohol poisoning after ingesting counterfeit beverages, Free Malaysia Today reported on Wednesday. To date, twenty individuals exhibiting symptoms of alcohol poisoning have been admitted to the Fajr Hospital in the same city, per the prosecutor. Jafari emphasized the situation’s urgency, underscoring the potential dangers of consuming adulterated concoctions.
Providing updates on the ongoing investigation, Jafari added that the arrested individuals are currently under scrutiny, signaling a continued commitment by authorities to address the pervasive issue of illicit alcohol trade in the region.
In regions where alcohol is prohibited or difficult to obtain, bootleg liquor is sometimes found to have been laced with harmful ingredients. Yet the enduring demand for affordable, locally produced alcohol persists despite frequent official crackdowns, leading to tragic consequences for consumers.
In April 2023, at least 27 people died in India due to toxic bootleg liquor, with reports suggesting the death toll could have been higher. The illicit alcohol, referred to as “Desi Daru” or “Country Liquor,” was found to have contained poisonous methyl alcohol. Later in the year, Iran sentenced four individuals to death for selling contaminated bootleg alcohol that killed at least 17 individuals and hospitalized 191.
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