At least 25 people are dead after they drank $1 bottles of vodka that were laced with methanol, according to multiple reports.
Several people in Slantsy, Russia, were involved in a “mass poisoning” on September 26 after they consumed 90 proof vodka, which is approximately 45 percent ABV, according to Metro UK, Reuters and Russian news outlet Izvestia.
All the victims consumed alcohol products that were illegally sold and seemingly contained methanol, according to Izvestia. The outlet also reported that all of the deceased had elevated levels of methanol in their system.
Two suspects, Nikolai Boytsov and Olga Stepanova, were detained during an investigation into the deaths after authorities found empty glass bottles and plastic cans in Boytsov’s apartment. Metro UK reported that Stepanova, 60, has been accused of supplying the compromised liquor to Boytsov, 78, who allegedly sold the bottles for $1 each.
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Additionally, Boytsov has been accused of poisoning his wife with the alcohol, prior to her death in the recent mass poisoning.
Eight more suspects have also been arrested for allegedly producing and distributing the contaminated vodka, according to Metro. The Slantsevsky City Court of the Leningrad Region announced on September 27 that one of the suspects has already been jailed for one month and 30 days, per Izvestia.
More than 1,000 liters, or about 264 gallons, of the alcohol were seized during the investigation, according to Metro. In light of the findings, authorities fear people could die from the bootleg alcohol.
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Methanol “is a clear and colorless liquid alcohol sometimes called ‘wood alcohol,’” according to the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment. “Methanol is not the kind of alcohol that people drink. Methanol’s main use is in the production of chemicals.”
According to the U.K. Government’s website, “drinking even small amounts” of methanol “is dangerous to health.”
The website added, “Serious health effects including coma, convulsions, blindness, nervous system damage and death may occur following ingestion of methanol or inhalation of methanol vapours. Methanol is an irritant and splashing it in the eyes could cause stinging, though this should not lead to permanent damage.”
The recent case is not the first time several people died from methanol poisoning in Russia. Back in June 2023, at least 30 people died in western Russia after they drank a homemade cider that contained methanol, per People.
