Dominican Republic - American tourists found dead in resorts, same cause of death, 2018/2019

[Herat]

I don't think its intentional. Its just that because there is little to no government oversight and standards are lax or non-existent, that in the distilling process occasionally they are getting methanol instead of ethanol.

Let's look at this a minute:

Ketel One Vodka is made in Schiedam, the Netherlands (however the label I saw on the original photo of the minibar was NOT Ketel One. It was Ketel Russian Vodka and I can't find a match for the label by googling. So where did this stuff actually come from?

El Jimador Tequila is made in Jalisco, Mexico

Ron Barcelo Blano Rum is made in the Dominican Republic

William Lawson Scotch is bottled in Scotland.

Legally importing the three non-local spirits into the US would require all had either bonding stamps or complete seals on the bottles from these three disparate countries. What is required to import them into DR? Is there a carve-out function for bulk importation of the spirits for the resorts?

At the volume these resorts are going through, I truly believe there has to be some special deal somewhere made to exclude them from import duties. This may also mean it's easier to tamper with them.

But if you look at the obvious, the local-made Ron Barcelo Blanco Rum would be by far the easiest to introduce an inferior, cheaper product that had enough residual methanol (or was low-ethanol spiked with methanol). Yet the export market would be the regular, potable product. No wonder the DR governmental ministers want every tourist death called a cardiac arrest and returned cremated.

Let's not forget that less than 2 years ago Mexican all-inclusives in Cancun were regularly serving methanol-contaminated alcoholic beverages in there swim-up bars and other on-site bars. And tourists were blacking out from the methanol intoxication yet no Mexican authorities got involved until a Young American Woman died and her parents raised the alarm.

And when exposed, the contaminated alcohol scam was EXTENSIVE, not a one-off

If this happened in the US, you would have negligent homicide charges, prison sentences, and fines all over the place for these poisonings.

 

[Inthedetails]

But why do just a few die? A few because there are 30 million visitors.

So someone dies drinking a drink from the bottle. It is not empty. No one else dies drinking out of that same bottle?

The goal of the bootleg business is not to kill people, so if you're looking for massive amounts of deaths to prove there is a problem with the liquor, that's not going to happen.
jmo

 

[PrairieWind]

Let's look at this a minute:

Ketel One Vodka is made in Schiedam, the Netherlands (however the label I saw on the original photo of the minibar was NOT Ketel One. It was Ketel Russian Vodka and I can't find a match for the label by googling. So where did this stuff actually come from?

El Jimador Tequila is made in Jalisco, Mexico

Ron Barcelo Blano Rum is made in the Dominican Republic

William Lawson Scotch is bottled in Scotland.

Legally importing the three non-local spirits into the US would require all had either bonding stamps or complete seals on the bottles from these three disparate countries. What is required to import them into DR? Is there a carve-out function for bulk importation of the spirits for the resorts?

At the volume these resorts are going through, I truly believe there has to be some special deal somewhere made to exclude them from import duties. This may also mean it's easier to tamper with them.

But if you look at the obvious, the local-made Ron Barcelo Blanco Rum would be by far the easiest to introduce an inferior, cheaper product that had enough residual methanol (or was low-ethanol spiked with methanol). Yet the export market would be the regular, potable product. No wonder the DR governmental ministers want every tourist death called a cardiac arrest and returned cremated.

Let's not forget that less than 2 years ago Mexican all-inclusives in Cancun were regularly serving methanol-contaminated alcoholic beverages in there swim-up bars and other on-site bars. And tourists were blacking out from the methanol intoxication yet no Mexican authorities got involved until a Young American Woman died and her parents raised the alarm.

And when exposed, the contaminated alcohol scam was EXTENSIVE.

If this happened in the US, you would have negligent homicide charges, prison sentences, and fines all over the place for these poisonings.

My guess is that it is produced locally and just added to whatever bottles are available. I would be interested to know what arrangements the resorts have with the government concerning purchasing of liquor. Are they allowed to bring their own in, or are they required to purchase it from a local distributor?

 

[Herat]

My guess is that it is produced locally and just added to whatever bottles are available. I would be interested to know what arrangements the resorts have with the government concerning purchasing of liquor. Are they allowed to bring their own in, or are they required to purchase it from a local distributor?

Three of the four bottles are imported. The AI business is so profound that I think they can call their own shots in DR. Hard Rock has more than 30 AI non-US resorts, so they are going to have huge contracts with liquor brokers. I think their process for importing the requisite liquors, foods, and other supplies is well worked out at the corporate level and I think DR just says "thank you"

 

[Gunslinging Granny]

But why do just a few die? A few because there are 30 million visitors.

So someone dies drinking a drink from the bottle. It is not empty. No one else dies drinking out of that same bottle?

These are possible:

The methanol wasn't stirred into the entire content of the bottles. Dead guests accidentally got more methanol.

On some days, the mini bar liquor was spiked with less methanol than other days.

Some guests drank more than one drink of the tainted alcohol.

Some middle-aged and older guests couldn't detoxify the methanol as well as guests with younger, healthier livers.

 

[Gunslinging Granny]

Three of the four bottles are imported. The AI business is so profound that I think they can call their own shots in DR. Hard Rock has more than 30 AI non-US resorts, so they are going to have huge contracts with liquor brokers. I think their process for importing the requisite liquors, foods, and other supplies is well worked out at the corporate level and I think DR just says "thank you"

I'll bet those bottles are never changed out. They likely sit in the mini bars for years and an employee fills them up with "something" when the volume becomes low.

 

[Gunslinging Granny]

It's not just alcohol that's tainted in such resorts. dh and I went to Puerto Vallarta years ago and stayed in an expensive resort. Free bottled water was provided in every room. I noticed the bottle water lids were tight, but the seals had been broken. dh and I didn't consume any of it. Later that week as we walked by the utility closet in the hallway, the door was open several inches. I witnessed a maid filling up water bottles from the utility sink.

 

[Elley Mae]

It's not just alcohol that's tainted in such resorts. dh and I went to Puerto Vallarta years ago and stayed in an expensive resort. Free bottled water was provided in every room. I noticed the bottle water lids were tight, but the seals had been broken. dh and I didn't consume any of it. Later that week as we walked by the utility closet in the hallway, the door was open several inches. I witnessed a maid filling up water bottles from the utility sink.

My first thought is where are they getting the bottles to fill, the trash?

I know a person that steals from her job, bottled water, fruit/packaged snacks, she did that on a daily basis. And yes I was there one day when she offered a guest a water and got the water out and opened the already opened and refilled bottle of water without the guest noticing. One of those ppl that can not be trusted.

 

[Herat]

It's not just alcohol that's tainted in such resorts. dh and I went to Puerto Vallarta years ago and stayed in an expensive resort. Free bottled water was provided in every room. I noticed the bottle water lids were tight, but the seals had been broken. dh and I didn't consume any of it. Later that week as we walked by the utility closet in the hallway, the door was open several inches. I witnessed a maid filling up water bottles from the utility sink.

And that could be another problem occuring there, too !

The AI could certainly save a lot of money by not having to actually buy sealed pure water, too...... Not saying that this is their policy, but someone in their organization could be skimming off the sealed water bottles to sell elsewhere -like in a market.

This is always a risk you take, but is, IMHOO, especially compounded in a poorer country like DR

 

[DD8]

If only a few of the minibar drinks are poisoned with something like etholene glycol, then heavy drinkers might be more likely to survive than those who had only a single drink from the contaminated bottles and no other alcohol.

Alcohol, such as that found in Vodka, is an antidote. We used to use it as an IV in dogs that had lapped up antifreeze. It's a fast way to save a life.

https://www.petpoisonhelpline.com/blog/antifreeze-poisoning-vodka-antidote/

Wow really? Good to know I guess!

 

[human]

The goal of the bootleg business is not to kill people, so if you're looking for massive amounts of deaths to prove there is a problem with the liquor, that's not going to happen.
jmo

I am trying to figure out if a person dies from one drink in a bottle, there is plenty of booze left. Plenty for someone else to drink it but they do not die.

The bottle will then be refilled with one drink gone? Refilled with good or bad booze? Bad booze but it does not kill the next person?

 

[Herat]

Wow really? Good to know I guess!

Yes, but this is done by medical prodessionals with monitoring support, respiratory support, laboratory monitoring, qualified nursing care.

This is not a home remedy.

 

[human]

Where I live, people have far different standards. They share everything with each other, Combs, drinks out of bottles. They refill bottles with powdered juice and serve it at meals. I did not catch on for a long time.

However, when my son was in junior high about 20 or so years ago, he played football and all of the players drank out of the same jug. Maybe high school, too.

The US used to let toilets go right into the water so we aren’t so pure either.

The French have different standards than we do as well, If you go to a French market, they hand you everything with bare hands. Not much is refrigerated but they do not seem to have the food poisoning issues of the US.

I hate travelling when I cannot bring my own pillow .Ugh snarf.

 

[Herat]

If only one of the 4 types of spirits is methanol- contaminated, then it would make the deaths, near- misses, and blackouts appear to be more sporatic.

For examole, of the 4 types of alcohol available: Vodka, Rum, Tequila, Scotch I would likely only drink the vodka.

I don’t like rum. I enjoy premium Tequila, but not the lower quality El Jimador. Same with Scotch. I enjoy a premium Scotch every once in a while, but it’s got to br

 

[Gunslinging Granny]

I am trying to figure out if a person dies from one drink in a bottle, there is plenty of booze left. Plenty for someone else to drink it but they do not die.

The bottle will then be refilled with one drink gone? Refilled with good or bad booze? Bad booze but it does not kill the next person?

The bad booze has killed the next person. It wasn't a coincidence that the couple from Maryland died from pulmonary edema on the same night. They were healthy hours before their death.

 

[Gunslinging Granny]

The resorts know why healthy people are dying.

Hard Rock Cafe gets rid of all booze in their mini bars.
Hard Rock Hotel in Dominican Republic to remove liquor from minibars

 

[Herat]

The resorts know why healthy people are dying.

Hard Rock Cafe gets rid of all booze in their mini bars.
Hard Rock Hotel in Dominican Republic to remove liquor from minibars

BINGO ! HR Resorts has a $$$$ USD billion empire to control. Rather than rage and protest until the inevitable disclcosure of poisoning, they've chosen to get out ahead of all of this, hoping this will shut down the negative publicity. They must have had a significant drop in bookings.

Now for the results of the toxicology tests to be revealed and the further scam that the DR Medical Examiner, the hospitals, and the DR funerary business are all parties to.

There had to be substantial collusion by the above to keep these deaths from being identified as poisonings.

This would be called fraud and negligent homicide. And we will find it at all levels in this government and then what will we do?

People want a cheap vacation and DR seems to provide it.

"Round up the usual suspects?"

 

[human]

So not all of the fake alcohol is a killer. Just some. And by the time the bottle is topped off, it is diluted enough to not be a killer.

I cannot see that an employee is doing this. Too many resorts. Maybe the employees are relatives or friends so that would explain the many resorts?

It seems hard to believe that the medical people were in on it, too. But there are the fees.

Does DR have healthcare for the people? I know it is poor.

It is the same all over. The corporations get the money from the resorts. The money leaves the country. The people do not see much benefit.

 

[human]

The healthcare system in the Dominican Republic

 

[mlw987m]

I will put my two cents in again - a lot of people go to the DR for the reason that they can get all brand name liquor as an all-inclusive part of the package.............
I had friends that went every year - they drank a lot - who went based on the all-inclusive option of liquor included. They even asked the travel agent if they were house brands or name brands. They were told name brands.............