USA Today reports that Mexican authorities have seized more than 10,000 gallons of illicit alcohol from Cancun and Riviera Maya Resorts! Is illicit the same thing as tainted? I don't know what's going on, but for 10 years I have been commenting that the alcohol is "different".
I read the article and it says "unsanitary alcohol and in the process discovered a sketchy manufacturer" and "bad manufacturing practices" so I would think that qualifies as tainted. Mexican authorities seize illicit alcohol in crackdown at resorts
Well, if we're talking about is illicit the same as tainted the answer is of course, no. "Illicit" means (unspecified) rules/laws were broken. Might be something as simple as not having a standard size bottle, a label that doesn't quote the proof or country of production etc. "Tainted" means contaminated with something considered bad or harmful. Dictionaries are good!
Steve - I sort of find it strange that the only press on this is coming from just a US source, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Perhaps Jannet(a trusted source) can summarize in English for us what was really said, from the audio(mp4, below in quote) of the press conference in Cancun of Commissioner Álvaro Pérez to which the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel is using to report this story ? It's not that I don't thrust the US media for accurate reporting but ......
The US sources get their 'news' from local sources, then rewrite with their own anti Mexico twist. Some links from local news below. Chrome/Firefox will translate, Jannet's English is probably not strong enough to translate accurately. Suspenden bares y confiscan alcohol en Cancún y Playa Descartan alcohol adulterado en licorerías de Cancún Still says that the issues are that of hygiene, incorrect storage, expired stock, record keeping etc. The kind of sloppy housekeeping that bars and restaurants all over the developed World get cited for. Nothing has been printed that indicates that the alcohol is contaminated with foreign substances that can cause death or injury. I maintain that any serious contamination issues are the result of staff trying to pull a fast one on their employer to make extra money, or smaller bar / restaurant owners doing similar to save money. I can not imagine such a prestigious mark as Iberostar having a conscious policy to serve their guests 'poisoned' alcohol. It just doesn't make sense. Like I mentioned somewhere these big chains have ISO9001 up the ying yang, but it only takes a dodgy staff member or two in search of a few extra dollars to circumvent those procedures.
On a related note, I have heard whispers of hotels (not Original group) no longer allowing guests to bring their own alcohol onto premises. I can understand why - someone buys a cheap bottle of tequila from Juan in the street or at the market stall, takes it back to the hotel and ends up in trouble. Hotel gets the blame.
I have zero doubt that's true. I'm sure that's true. In this morning's ABC news quoted Mexican authorities saying tainted and illicit alcohol were used interchangably and that warehouses, resorts, and clubs were raided and sub-standard alcohol was confiscated. Furthermore, they said over the last 6 or 8 years they've confiscated approx 1.5 million gallons of tainted/illicit alcohol. This isn't new. On one day in 2015 they seized 269 thousand gallons from a warehouse that distributed to many local resorts and clubs I think we can be assured that this problem is not limited to Mexico only. If it doesn't taste right don't drink it.....no matter where you are!
Yeah, we Americans are all a bunch of stupid lying assholes ........... who make shit up in order to discredit Mexico.
