Brazil Confirms 46 Methanol Poisonings as Police Trace Tainted Spirits to Two Fuel Stations

Overview

• The Health Ministry reports 46 confirmed cases, 87 under investigation and 8 deaths nationwide, with São Paulo accounting for 38 confirmations.
• São Paulo civil police identified fuel stations in Santo André and São Bernardo do Campo as suppliers of ethanol contaminated with methanol used in falsified drinks.
• Investigators say a clandestine operation in São Bernardo led by Vanessa Maria da Silva produced and distributed much of the tainted liquor, closing what they call the first cycle of the criminal chain.
• Two men who drank at a bar in Mooca died and another person who consumed a drink at a bar in Saúde remains in critical condition, with at least three cases linked to the same factory.
• Federal Operation Alquimia is tracing possible diversion of industrial methanol across importers, terminals and usinas as labs expand testing capacity and the antidote fomepizol is deployed to toxicology centers.