While Covid-19 has claimed nearly 600 deaths in the Dominican Republic, another 330 have died this year from drinking “cleren”, the cheap and deadly home-brew that usually contains methanol instead of alcohol. Despite the beverage being illegal, colmados still illicitly stock the beverage, or elsewise, the poor continue to have access to the deadly drink. The number of persons in intensive care, 123, is very similar to those in ICU for Covid-19.
The makeshift production of the beverage is in violation of Law 42-01. In April and May 200 persons died from the poisoning with the beverage. Yet, almost every week there continue to be reports of dozens of deaths related to the consumption of local moonshine.
The authorities recently said they have seized and destroyed a major operation in the Maria Trinidad sector of the town of Nararrete in the province of Santiago. According to information from the Ministry of Public Health, the agents seized 15 large, 55-gallon drums full of liquid, 5 empty drums, and one drum containing fermenting grains producing alcohol. They also confiscated a drum full of corn, a propane tank, stoves and burners and copper tubing. The Medications, Sanitary Foods and Products (Digemaps) agency of the Ministry of Public Health, the health prosecutor and the National Police carried out the operation.
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El Nacional
14 June 2020