The president of the Dominican Medical Association (CMD), Dr. Waldo Ariel Suero said the population should refrain from consuming alcohol because the authorities do not control the manufacture and sale of adulterated drinks. He said the life and health of people are in danger.
This year, more than 90 people have died and hundreds more have been intoxicated or are suffering from the effects of alcohol poisoning from beverages bought in neighborhood colmados. Several of the clandestine beverages are laced with methanol. Many have their own brands, but others are forged drinks of major brands.
In a written statement, the Dominican Medical Association (CMD) also asked the authorities to close down the establishments that sell adulterated beverages and to bring to justice those who commit this type of crime.
The authorities have reported shutting down a dozen or so colmados where the clandestine drinks are sold in complicity with the small shop owners. The clandestine drinks are usually laced with methanol that affects the nervous system and causes organ failures.
Meanwhile, the Abinader administration has not been convincing on what is to be done to confront the problem. After a meeting on Tuesday, 20 April 2021, the government declared adulterated alcohol drinks a matter of national security and said actions would be forthcoming. So far, nearly 100 deaths have occurred due to adulterated alcohol in the first quarter of the year. The victims of the clandestine beverages are more than those caused by Covid-19.
The drinks are sold in colmados nationwide and the main target are low-income persons who do not want to pay the prices of legitimate alcohol brands, such as Brugal, Barceló, Bermúdez, Macorix, etc. The government has been unable to control the sale of the clandestine beverages.
Nevertheless, the discussion has also led to information on the forging of major brands. An interview on Bajo Presion TV has gone viral, featuring an interview with a former manufacturer of forged beverages with details on the business.
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21 April 2021