No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeNewsCosta RicaUpdates: Health Ministry suspects 19 deaths due to adulterated alcohol

Updates: Health Ministry suspects 19 deaths due to adulterated alcohol

Costa Rica’s Health Ministry last week issued an alert over liquor that has been sold to the public containing deadly amounts of methanol.

Friday, the Health Ministry said it attributes 19 deaths in June and July to methanol poisoning, though the information is “preliminary as investigations continue.”

Authorities are confiscating alcohol sold under the following brands: Guaro Montano; Guaro Gran Apache; Aguardiente Estrella; Aguardiente Barón Rojo; Aguardiente Timbuka; and Molotov Aguardiente.

The Health Ministry says the Guaro Montano, Timbuka Aguardiente and Molotov Brandy brands have all been registered for legal sale in Costa Rica, suggesting vendors are — perhaps unknowingly — selling counterfeit products.

The 19 deaths comprise 14 men and five women. Seven occurred in San José province; four in Cartago; three in Limón; two in Guanacaste; one in Heredia; and two remain unclassified.

The Health Ministry recommends the following:

  • Do not consume or purchase the aforementioned liquor brands until the health alert is lifted.
  • Report to the Ministry of Health (denuncias.drpis@misalud.go.cr) if you have symptoms of methanol poisoning after consuming alcohol.
Alcohol adulterated with methanol
Via the Health Ministry.

Donald Corella, head of emergency services at Calderon Guardia Hospital in San Jose, was quoted in the daily La Nacion saying that six people who were treated at his hospital had died, while four others survived but suffered “very serious after-effects” ranging from irreversible total blindness to brain lesions that cause tremors similar to Parkinson’s disease.

President Carlos Alvarado said he “deeply regrets” the lives that have been lost and has instructed the Health Ministry and other authorities to collect “all possible data” in order to determine who is responsible.

According to the World Health Organization, a trace amount of methanol is common in fermented drinks. However, higher concentrations — such as when methanol is added deliberately to alcohol — can be deadly.

Symptoms of methanol poisoning may not appear immediately. They include acute abdominal pain, acute headache and ataxia (lack of coordination of body movements), according to the Health Ministry.

After a variable period of time, victims start to develop headache, vomiting, abdominal pain and vertigo. They may start to hyperventilate and feel breathless,” WHO says. 

This story was last updated at 8:45 a.m. Sunday with information from AFP and President Alvarado. 

Trending Now

Guatemala and U.S. Strengthen Cooperation on Migration and Transnational Crime

Migration and drug trafficking dominated a meeting on Friday between U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau and Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo, according to...

Former Nicaraguan President Violeta Chamorro Dies in San José at 95

Violeta Barrios de Chamorro, Nicaragua’s first female president and a key figure in ending her country’s civil war, passed away peacefully this morning in...

Panama Police Clash with Protesters Over Pension Reform Near Costa Rica Border

Police and protesters clashed in Panama on Saturday during an operation to clear a highway near the Costa Rican border, where teachers and Indigenous...

The Hidden Costs of Living in Costa Rica: Tariffs, Monopolies, and More

‘Tariffs’ is one of the buzzwords of 2025. Defined as taxes imposed by one country on goods imported from another country, tariffs are essentially...

The Cocos-Galapagos Swimway Will Create a Legacy for Costa Rica and the World!

At the UN Oceans Conference in Nice, France, which Costa Rica is co-sponsoring, President Rodrigo Chaves Robles has an opportunity to make history by...

Costa Rica Expat’s Bus Journey to the Border: A Ride Like No Other

I can’t say what compelled me to buy a ticket to the border on a collectivo bus. I got to the station too early....
spot_img
Costa Rica Tours
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait
Costa Rica Travel

Latest News from Costa Rica