Laced spirits claim first victim in 2013

Prague, Jan 10 (CTK) - A man from central Moravia who died after drinking suspicious alcohol is the first Czech victim of methanol poisoning this year and the 39th victim of the lethal bootleg spirits' scandal that broke out in September 2012, chief sanitary officer Vladimir Valenta told Radio Impuls Thursday.

"It has turned out that people still have problematic alcohol at home," Valenta said.

He said this was no big surprise, despite a temporary prohibition on hard liquor, awareness campaigns and offers of free testing of suspicious alcohol.

Valenta pointed to large cases of alcohol poisoning abroad, in which an increased risk lasted at least six months.

On Wednesday, the Health Ministry received the result of the postmortem that confirmed that the 51-year-old man was killed by poisonous spirits, its spokeswoman Viktorie Plivova told CTK.

The man was found dead at home on Tuesday.

Health Minister Leos Heger repeatedly warned the Czech public against drinking suspicious alcohol during the past few months.

The ministry earmarked ten million crowns for free testing of small quantities of alcohol.

According to the police, it is possible that some 5000 litres of methanol still may be revealed.

Detectives discovered the source of the poisoned bootleg alcohol and the persons suspected of sending the lethal mix into circulation were arrested last autumn.