The Investigative Committee has officially confirmed that 25 individuals have tragically died from severe alcohol poisoning in Russia`s Leningrad Region. Forensic examinations revealed lethal concentrations of methyl alcohol in the victims` blood. Consequently, a criminal case has been launched under the charge of «Causing death by negligence to two or more persons.»
As part of the ongoing investigation into the distribution of illicit surrogate alcohol, a total of 14 individuals have been detained, with four of them formally placed under arrest. They face charges directly related to the illegal procurement and sale of dangerous alcoholic beverages across the Leningrad Region, as reported by the joint press service of the region`s courts.
The confirmed death toll now stands at 25. Previously, six additional victims were identified in the Volosovsky district, their deaths definitively linked to methyl alcohol poisoning through forensic analysis. This tragic discovery followed reports of 19 earlier fatalities in the Slantsevsky district.
Andrey Karlov, a correspondent for the online publication 47news.ru, provided Business FM with further insights into the unfolding events:
Andrey Karlov
Correspondent, 47news.ru
«By the evening of September 28, half of those detained for distributing surrogate alcohol in the Leningrad Region had been arrested. We understand they are residents of three districts: Slantsevsky, Volosovsky, and Kingiseppsky. The youngest is 28, the oldest is 79. Arrests began on Saturday, including a man detained on Friday and his alleged accomplice, a kindergarten defectologist who reportedly supplied the methyl alcohol. The number of victims, as far as we know, is not currently rising, remaining at 25 confirmed deaths from poisoning. Of these, 19 were in the Slantsevsky district since early September, with eight laboratory-confirmed methyl alcohol poisonings. Six deaths occurred in the Volosovsky district. How the alcohol was distributed and reached those involved in this illegal business is still unclear; the police, prosecutor`s office, and Investigative Committee are investigating, and further arrests are planned.»
Evgeny Vyshenkov, deputy chief editor of «Fontanka,» observed that the current crisis in the Leningrad Region disturbingly mirrors a 2023 incident in the Volga region, where numerous individuals were poisoned by a counterfeit drink known as «Mister Cider.» In that previous case, methanol, which had been illegally taken from a warehouse storing seized evidence, was mistakenly substituted for ethanol in the illicit beverage. Vyshenkov suggests a similar, tragic sequence of events has now transpired once more:
Evgeny Vyshenkov
Deputy Chief Editor, Fontanka
«In the Leningrad Region, there`s a temporary storage facility – a space where various seized counterfeit goods and large pieces of evidence are collected and documented. Two tons of alcohol were stored there, meaning plastic canisters of 100 or 200 liters. Several months ago, these canisters were illegally removed. Where would one sell two tons of alcohol? Naturally, we know of various underground vodka production sites – garages, hangars, and so-called private entrepreneurs where these canisters could be distributed to earn a quick buck. But what happened was this: among these two tons, there were approximately 200 liters of methyl alcohol. Nobody knew about this. Well, perhaps those who seized the alcohol knew, but it was buried in some criminal case, and who cares which one. The vast majority of the alcohol was sold to various outlets. But these toxic liters also reached these illicit distributors. They, unknowingly and without any malicious intent, bottled it. And now, look at the scoreboard – 25 people are gone.»
In a particularly tragic development, one of the vendors of the surrogate alcohol inadvertently poisoned his own wife, who reportedly sampled the toxic drink that was intended for resale. On Sunday, courts in the Leningrad Region were scheduled to continue reviewing the investigators` requests for pre-trial detention measures for all suspects implicated in this deadly case.
