Hard Rock Hotel in Dominican Republic to remove liquor from minibars after American tourist deaths and following reports of bootlegged alcohol on the island The tests conducted ruled out several potential causes of death for Day and Holmes, including methanol poisoning from tainted alcohol, the spokesperson said. • For more on the mysterious deaths in … …
Cases of deaths from poisonings of this type are recurrent in the country. Resorts like this one in the Dominican Republic attract visitors with All-Inclusive packages. Sign up for our newsletter. U.S. alcohol agency should investigate Dominican Republic deaths, top Democrat says Relatives have raised the possibility that the deaths may have been caused by adulterated alcohol… The New York Post reports investigators in the Dominican Republic are investigating whether counterfeit alcohol has played a role in some deaths. FBI investigators are currently comparing blood samples from the deceased tourists to alcohol samples at a Dominican resort. In the past year, at least 10 people have died while visiting, or after returning home from, the Dominican Republic. Terms of Use Visit INSIDER's homepage for more stories. But the problem isn't local to the Dominican Republic. Leyla Cox, 53, became eighth American to … This theory primarily stems from the fact that several of the deceased tourists, such as Pennsylvania women Miranda Schaup-Werner, 41, who died of a heart attack on May 25th; Yvette Monique Short, 51, who died in June 2018; and Robert Bell Wallace, 67, who died in April, all had drinks from the minibar prior to falling ill, albeit at two different resorts and on three separate occasions. “It is often cheaply produced and always unregulated but can appear to look and smell like alcohol produced by a licensed supplier,” Michael Bilello, the senior vice president of communications and marketing for the Wine and Spirits Wholesalers of America (WSWA), tells Rolling Stone. “The results of the additional, extensive toxicology testing completed to date have been consistent with the findings of local authorities,” a State Department spokesperson told The Hill. In the Dominican Republic specifically, “we’re unaware of regulators monitoring counterfeit alcohol,” Bilello says. You should never drink any beverage that contains unidentified particles or sediment. Glue as I do: Salon owner admits he’s been using Gorilla Glue on clients... 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All Rights Reserved, dead of respiratory failure and pulmonary edema, Best Presidents Day sales 2021: 32 huge deals from top brands, Nordstrom Rack takes up to 75% off clearance items for Clear The Rack sale, Best Presidents Day furniture sales 2021: 16 deals on beds, couches, more, Sephora takes 50 percent off top beauty products for Presidents Day sale, Best moisturizers for dry skin 2021: 29 expert-approved face products, Random act of kindness brings woman to tears. Prior to the pandemic, the Dominican Republic already had a well-established black market for alcohol, which has been linked to deaths of tourists in previous years. What Caribbean countries are still safe to travel to? Unregulated alcohol, also known as counterfeit or bootleg alcohol, is an international problem, having caused deaths in India, Iran, Indonesia, and several other countries in … Nine people in the last year have died of either fluid in the lungs or a heart attack, both of which are symptoms of methanol poisoning. This can result in pulmonary edema and acute respiratory distress.”. A total of 16 tourists have died after falling ill on … We've received your submission. “Be mindful of cheap, discount products.”. Although no one, any agency or resort has intimated that the recent spate of deaths in the Dominican Republic w ere caused by fake alcohol or methanol poisoning, the symptoms and causes of death cannot be overlooked. Although it is unclear whether Holmes and Day also drank from the minibar prior to their deaths, Holmes, Day, and Schaup-Werner were all found to have fluid in their lungs at the time of their deaths, a condition known as pulmonary edema. The FBI has reportedly taken samples … 72,743, This story has been shared 64,055 times. It is reported that these deaths may be linked to counterfeit alcohol being served at some hotels. DOMINICAN REPUBLIC officials swatted away reports of nine deaths of US tourists as “fake news” after the FBI started investigating minibars on the island. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! The Bahia Principe has issued a statement on social media reassuring guests of the safety of the island and disputing the veracity of many of the media reports on the tourist deaths; one of the hotel chains linked to the recent tourist deaths, the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Punta Cana, reassured guests that it is in the process of removing liquor dispensers from all guests’ rooms and is contracting a U.S.-based third party testing lab “to provide inspections and laboratory testing of all food and beverage products and public spaces,” according to a statement sent to Rolling Stone. Nathaniel Edward Holmes, 63, and his fiancée, Cynthia Day, 49, were both found dead of respiratory failure and pulmonary edema the day they were supposed to check out in La Romana, local authorities said at the time. Over the past three months, at least eight Americans have fallen mysteriously ill and died while on vacation in the Dominican Republic.Though the Dominican government insists that the deaths are not connected, experts say that many of victims have had eerily similar symptoms, leading police to investigate what they believe could be the shared source: Bootleg alcohol. Over the past few months, a string of mysterious U.S. tourist deaths in the Dominican Republic has caught the attention of tourists all over the world. According to the New York Post, FBI investigators are looking into the counterfeit alcohol theory by comparing alcohol samples from at least one of the resorts, the Bahia Principe Hotel in La Romana, to blood samples from the victims. “If the price seems too cheap to be true, it probably is,” he says. The FBI is reportedly trying to determine what type of liquor the tourists drank before their deaths, as well as whether the liquor was counterfeit or tainted with any dangerous chemicals. How can you avoid drinking counterfeit alcohol?While traveling, Bilello says, it’s best to look for the “four Ps”: place, product, price, and packaging. 91,280, This story has been shared 72,743 times. Although an autopsy report is currently pending, like many of the other tourists who died after visiting the island, Simoneaux was reported to have had fluid in her lungs at the time of her death — and while Dominican Republic officials are insisting that the deaths are unrelated and that the island is still safe to visit, many are wondering just what the hell is going on. A number of citizens of the Dominican Republic and Haiti reportedly died after drinking a local bootleg alcohol called cléren in 2017. But how, exactly, does counterfeit liquor end up in hotels, resorts, or restaurants — and what kinds of chemicals could be linked to such mysterious deaths? In an interview with the Cut, however, Lawrence Kobilinsky, a forensic science professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York, did note that the effects of methanol poisoning are consistent with what was reported from some of the publicly released details from the tourists’ autopsies, such as fluid in the lungs and heart and respiratory failure. To date, the most widely reported theory regarding the U.S. tourist deaths in the Dominican Republic is that they may have been linked to counterfeit alcohol, or bootleg liquor. Earlier this year, there were at least 150 deaths linked to methyl alcohol poisoning in the state of Assam in India, which officials attributed to the sale of bootleg “country-made liquor” containing methanol. Of the 10 Americans who have mysteriously died during their trips to the Dominican Republic in the last year, nine showed symptoms commonly associated with methanol poisoning. What is counterfeit alcohol, and why is it dangerous?Counterfeit alcohol is essentially bootleg liquor, produced outside the context of regulated alcohol production. What the Hell Is Going On in Sia’s ‘Music’? Expert: Dominican Republic Deaths Are ‘Very Strange’ Randee St. Nicholas. Alex Trebek's last 'Jeopardy!' And as tempting as it may be to purchase a bottle of whiskey from a local store at an extremely low price, Bilello advises against it. October 21, 2019 | 11:26am | Updated October 21, 2019 | 12:15pm. ... reportedly analyzing alcohol samples from at least one minibar at the popular Bahia Príncipe resort in the Dominican Republic to see if the hotel alcohol is to blame for a recent series of tourist deaths in the country. You should only purchase alcohol from licensed bars, restaurants, and retailers, rather than buying booze from a remote location or drinking anything offered to you by a stranger. The FBI has reportedly taken samples … To date, the most widely reported theory regarding the U.S. tourist deaths in the Dominican Republic is that they may have been linked to counterfeit alcohol, or bootleg liquor. champ, Brayden Smith, dies unexpectedly at 24. To date, at least 10 tourist deaths have been linked to this Caribbean Country. The lawsuit comes as another popular vacation spot, the Dominican Republic, is making worldwide headlines because of a rash of deaths of U.S. tourists – many of … Dominican Republic deaths: Tourist becomes eighth American to mysteriously die at Caribbean holiday destination. Want more Rolling Stone? Findings from a 2018 report by Euromonitor International found that nearly a third of all alcohol consumed in the Dominican Republic came from clandestine sources. “The heart will pump faster, blood pressure will increase, and the victim will breathe more rapidly, trying to acquire more oxygen into their lungs,” he told the Cut. THE sudden and unexpected deaths of tourists staying at resorts in the Dominican Republic has led to speculation over their mysterious deaths. Even small amounts of methanol can be toxic, if not lethal, to humans, says Bilello. Dominican Republic deaths: 'Very healthy' pizzeria owner is 10th American to die while vacationing in the country. An FBI investigation has ruled out tainted booze as the cause in three mysterious US tourist deaths in the Dominican Republic, according to a report. A Louisiana woman has died a week after returning from her honeymoon in the Dominican Republic as it's revealed the FBI is testing samples from a resort mini bar to see if … (Schaup-Werner was staying at the Grand Bahia Principe Bouganville Hotel, while Wallace was staying at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Punta Cana; Sport was staying at the Bahia Principe in Punta Cana.). Counterfeit alcohol can sometimes be made or laced with substances such as embalming fluid, battery acid, or methanol, a synthetic chemical that is used in antifreeze and windshield wiper fluid. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. A string of deaths has been occurring in the Dominican Republic since April 2018. Methanol is a common component of fake alcohol. During an appearance on CNBC, Hard Rock … But US officials said bad booze wasn’t to blame in the couple’s deaths or in the death of a third person, who wasn’t identified. The investigation was launched in the wake of a series of tourist deaths on the island, including some who drank from the hotel minibar before becoming fatally ill. Law enforcement sources told The Post back in June that the agency was looking into who supplied the alcoholic beverages — and whether the booze had dangerous chemicals in it. To date, there have been at least 10 tourist deaths connected to the Dominican Republic in the last year alone, with the latest tourist, Louisiana woman Susan Simoneaux, dying a week after returning from her honeymoon in Punta Cana. The FBI and Dominican authorities are investigating, and one theory is that alcohol was the cause of these deaths. 62,285, © 2021 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved On May 30th, a Maryland couple, Edward Holmes, 63, and Cynthia Day, 49, was also found dead in their rooms at the Bahia Principe Hotel in La Romana. The Dominican government and the hotels have maintained that the deaths were from natural causes. “Methanol poisoning from tainted alcohol was ruled out by the FBI in these cases during the toxicology screening, and it was not the finding in any other cases of U.S. citizen deaths investigated by Dominican authorities.”. Sitemap We want to hear from you! 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While not unheard of, there are relatively few counterfeit alcohol-related deaths in the United States, in large part due to a more rigorously regulated alcohol sales and distribution system than in other countries. “There are neurological effects as well, and the toxicity will also affect contractility of the heart muscle, causing heart failure. These are substances that are prepared by hand and are sold at low prices in the neighborhoods without any quality or purity control. In the last five days, 13 people have died from the consumption of clandestine-made alcoholic beverages known as clerén, “Tapa Floja,” petrinche, or triculí. What is the evidence that counterfeit alcohol is linked to the deaths in the Dominican Republic?As of now, there is none: it’s just a working theory, and Dominican Republic officials and resort owners have continued to maintain that the recent spate of tourist deaths is little more than a coincidence. Even so, it’s important to check the label on the bottle for “misspelled words,” says Bilello; it’s also crucial to check the glue on the label to make sure it is firmly secured, as well as the seal on the bottle to ensure it hasn’t been tampered with. Counterfeit alcohol had been eyed as a possible cause in a trio of fatalities on the island, including a Maryland couple who died in the same hotel room in May at the Grand Bahia Príncipe resort, The Hill reported. Bootleg liquor eyed as cause of Dominican Republic tourist deaths A minibar in a room at a Dominican resort offers booze on tap. “It can cause a variety of symptoms such as dizziness, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, blindness, and even death,” he said. Do Not Sell My Personal Information, Your California Privacy Rights A New York Post reporter who traveled to the Dominican Republic “noted the vodka … Do Not Sell My Personal Information. It’s also a good idea to stick to drinking only brands you recognize. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is investigating if fake alcohol caused the deaths of three American tourists in the Dominican Republic earlier this year. “Toxicology test results to date have been provided by the FBI to Dominican authorities, and family members of the deceased have been informed,” the State Department spokesperson told The Hill. The FBI has determined that recent American tourist deaths in the Dominican Republic in May were not caused by poisoned alcohol, backing up local authorities' assertion that the … Local authorities are looking at bootleg liquor as a possible cause of the deaths Hiker dies after plunging down 100-foot waterfall, This story has been shared 91,280 times. Dominican authorities and the FBI are now investigating the possibility that counterfeit alcohol is behind the mysterious illnesses and deaths. © Copyright 2021 Rolling Stone, LLC, a subsidiary of Penske Business Media, LLC. Counterfeit alcohol had been eyed as a possible Your California Privacy Rights The International Alliance for Responsible Drinking (IARD) differentiates counterfeit alcohol from other forms of bootleg alcohol, in that it is defined as a “fraudulent imitations of legitimate branded products.”.
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