Death of 'at least five people' due to consumption of counterfeit alcoholic beverages in Iran

According to reports, in the past week, at least five people in the cities of Shiraz, Fasa, and Tabas have died from drinking counterfeit alcoholic beverages containing methanol, and one person has lost their eyesight. ISNA news agency reported on Tuesday, August 1, that two of the individuals hospitalized in Fasa due to methanol poisoning from counterfeit alcoholic drinks have died, and one person has lost their eyesight. Reports indicate that since last Friday, 42 people in Fasa have visited the city’s hospital due to drinking alcoholic beverages containing methanol. Meanwhile, Mahmoud Shokouhian, the head of Fasa hospital, announced on Monday that 36 of these individuals have been discharged, and six are still hospitalized. According to Mr. Shokouhian, 11 of these individuals have undergone dialysis treatment. Fasa County is located 130 kilometers southeast of Shiraz. Additionally, Saeed Gholamzadeh, the head of forensic medicine in Fars province, reported on Tuesday that three cases of death due to alcohol consumption were referred to this center last week, and after tests, methanol poisoning was determined to be the cause of death for all three individuals. According to Mr. Gholamzadeh, two of the deceased were residents of Shiraz, and one was a resident of Fasa County who became poisoned in Tabas and died while being transferred to Shiraz. Last week, the consumption of 'homemade alcoholic beverages' in Sirjan County in Kerman province led to the death of at least five people and sent 114 others to the hospital. Mohammad Saberi, the head of the emergency management center of Kerman University of Medical Sciences, stated that 'the counterfeit alcohol was contaminated with methanol.' Methanol, or wood alcohol, is used as a solvent in printing and copying solutions, adhesives, paints, and varnishes. Meanwhile, Yadollah Moavhed, the head of the Kerman judiciary, announced that this case will be handled out of turn. According to Mr. Moavhed, based on police investigations, the driver of a truck obtained two 20-liter containers of 'homemade' alcohol from Isfahan and distributed it in Sirjan. Dadkhoda Salari, the public and revolutionary prosecutor of Kerman, also reported the arrest of four suspects in this case. The consumption of non-standard and smuggled alcoholic beverages has repeatedly led to deaths or loss of eyesight among consumers in various cities in Iran. For instance, in 2013, over 350 people in several cities in Kerman province, including Rafsanjan, were poisoned due to drinking counterfeit alcoholic beverages, resulting in seven deaths. Last year, an official from the forensic organization stated at a conference on 'alcohol abuse and addiction' that based on cases submitted to this organization, from 2010 to 2014, the annual death toll from alcohol consumption was 145, 93, 136, 135, and 81 respectively. Mohammad Reza Ghadirzadeh also mentioned that 'the total financial turnover and trade of alcoholic beverages in the country is 658 billion tomans, and there are 23 alcohol production factories in the country.' There are no accurate statistics on the exact amount of alcohol consumption in Iran, and various officials have reported differing figures on this matter. For example, Ali Akbar Siari, the deputy health minister, reported an annual consumption of 420 million liters of alcohol in the country. However, some reports indicate an annual consumption of about 60 million liters of alcoholic beverages in Iran. In this context, Abbas Jafari Dolat Abadi, the prosecutor of Tehran, announced last year that nearly 300,000 bottles of foreign alcohol and about 200,000 liters of domestically produced alcohol were discovered in Tehran within ten months. Ghasem Khorshidi, the spokesperson for the anti-smuggling headquarters, also stated last year that over one million and 427 thousand cans or bottles of alcoholic beverages were discovered in one year. The punishment for consuming alcoholic beverages in Iran is 80 lashes, and after two executions of this punishment, repeated consumption can lead to execution. In this context, the 'increase' in alcohol consumption 'in southern provinces of Iran' has resulted in five deaths and 114 poisonings after consuming 'homemade alcoholic beverages' in Sirjan.