President Luis Abinader called on the judiciary to act severely against the clandestine manufacturers and marketers of alcoholic beverages, which in recent weeks have claimed the lives of more than 20 people.
The president said there is a lot of recidivism of people who have been subdued and after a trial in justice they are back in practice.
“We believe that we should act more severely with them,” Abinader emphasized.
The president spoke on the subject in response to a question from journalists covering the National Palace, about his concern about the deaths that the consumption of clergy leaves in the country every year.
“It is a complaint from the police and military bodies, that the people who are subdued, that justice also act, because there is a lot of recidivism in these cases,” the ruler expressed.
For his part, the Minister of Industry and Trade, Víctor Bisonó, reported that yesterday more than 8,000 bottles of clerén were confiscated in Cabral, Barahona.
He added that the operation was mounted at 8:30 a.m. and 23 55-gallon tanks were seized.
“There is an active monitoring of where this illicit is being manufactured to monitor it and bring it to justice. This is done with the support of the General Directorate of Customs, the General Directorate of Internal Revenue and Health. Public, “he added.
Dead and affected
There have been 21 deaths in recent days as a result of the ingestion of adulterated alcoholic beverages and more than 80 cases of people affected in the country, revealed yesterday the Ministry of Public Health, which keeps active an epidemiological warning in the respect.
The data were provided yesterday by the director of Epidemiology of the Ministry of Public Health, Dr. Ronal Skewes, along with other industry officials, who called on the population to refrain from drinking alcohol. of clandestine production.
They stressed that cases of methanol poisoning continue to increase and that deaths have been recorded in different parts of the country including the National District, municipalities Santo Domingo East and West of Santo Domingo, and in the provinces Monsignor Nouel, Jaume and Puerto Plata.
Dead and affected
The methanol poisoning outbreak began during the Easter break. Among those affected, 53% are male and 33 percent are 20 to 29 years old.
Health authorities have highlighted that so far two possible sources have been identified, one through adulterated clearing and the other is from a prepared drink, which is a type of frozen cocktail.
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The Attorney General’s Office is investigating
Yesterday, the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office for Crimes and Crimes Against Health (Pedecsa) reported that along with other government agencies is prosecuting manufacturers and distributors of adulterated or illegally manufactured alcoholic beverages across the country. Rafael Brito Peña, head of department, has reported that following the recent deaths began the investigation into the origin of the drink.