Bootleg alcohol is a real problem when made badly. Five tourists on holiday in Laos have had their lives cut short after drinking methanol-spiked alcohol.
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Ethanol, the alcohol found in retail drinks, is used to make many of your favorite liquors. It is the base for gin, whisky, and others. However, in some countries, like Laos, the tax on ethanol is high. Because of this, some alcohol producers will substitute the expensive alcohol with methanol. This is incredibly dangerous, and as little as 0.85 Oz can be fatal.
The five dead tourists had drunk methanol alcohol on a night out at a Laotian hostel. Two Danish women in their twenties, Simone White, a 28-year-old British lawyer, and Bianca Jones, a 19-year-old Australian student are among the victims. There is also an unnamed American tourist who was a victim of the spiked booze.
The alcohol has left one more in critical condition with six more in the hospital. The majority of the affected tourists were drinking alcohol in the Nana Backpacker Hostel in Vang Vien. This is where the focus of the investigation is being done.
The Hostel Denies Selling Spiked Alcohol to Tourists
This hostel had handed out over 100 free shots of alcohol on the night the tourists were killed by methanol poisoning. However, they claim it wasn't their fault, and they had been cleared by authorities. "The police in Vang Vieng and Vientiane already came to the hostel to check, the shop we buy the vodka, check the shop we buy the whiskey," the manager claimed. He further reassured guests "We don't do anything wrong, for sure. I really take care of all of the customers stay with our hotel and our hostel." However, since the investigation, the hostel has been permanently closed.
A full investigation to find out exactly where the source of the methanol-laced alcohol comes from is underway. This isn't an uncommon occurrence, with many cheap establishments trying to bulk out their booze with the phenomenally strong and poisonous ethanol replacement.
Sadly, in this case, the alcohol killed some tourists trying to have fun. Of course, it is always important to know exactly where your drinks come from. Cheap booze, although all the more tasty for being cheap, can sometimes be lethally dangerous.
