Counterfeit alcohol on the rise?

An explosion which killed five men and severely injured a sixth on an industrial estate in Boston, Lincolnshire has brought to light a new kind of alcohol problem previously unknown in the UK. For it transpired that the explosion had taken place in an illegal distillery operated by Lithuanian migrant workers. Police investigating the incident discovered a filtration plant used for an illegal alcohol distilling process, along with three lorry-loads of counterfeit vodka, falsely labelled as Smirnoff.

Mass migration into the UK has resulted in approximately 25 per cent of the residents of Boston now coming from Eastern Europe, and it seems that it is largely foreign migrants who are behind the growth in the illegal alcohol trade, which is not restricted to Lincolnshire.

In the Spring of 2011, Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) carried out raids to find out who was buying and selling the counterfeit vodka and to try to stop it reaching store shelves. As well as Boston, the raids also took place in Peterborough in Cambridgeshire, St Albans in Hertfordshire and Newcastle. HMRC is considering rolling out the operation nationwide after prosecutions in 16 cases, including one at a pub in Newcastle, successfully resulted in licences being revoked or suspended. In 2010, an illegal distillery run by Polish migrants was found in Hackney in north London. The distillery was producing two dozen bottles of counterfeit vodka every minute around the clock.

It is difficult to assess the precise dimensions of the illegal trade but estimates suggest that it could be costing the Treasury £millions a year in lost revenue. Channel 4 quoted a spokesman from the Department for Customs and Revenue as saying that in the period since 2005, HMRC have seized nearly 15 million litres of alcohol with a taxable value of over £33m and issued demands for more than £175m of evaded duty. However, the spokesman added that most illegal alcohol is smuggled, predominantly from Eastern Europe, rather than being the product of illegal distilleries in the UK.

What is clear is that counterfeit alcohol, smuggled or home made, can be even more toxic than the authentic products. Counterfeit products have been found to be adulterated with various chemicals including cleaning fluid, and methanol used in making anti-freeze. Speaking to Sky News, hospital Consultant Vikas Sodiwala said that a growing number of patients had been coming into accident and emergency at Lincoln County Hospital thinking their drinks had been spiked, when in fact they had drunk fake alcohol brands.

“It can be extremely dangerous,” he said. “The abdominal pain can be Mr Vikas Sodiwala severe, and they will need medication to get on top of that.” He said one possible outcome was permanent blindness. Mr Sodiwala added:

“It can also lead to liver failure, it can lead to kidney failure and it can ultimately lead to death.”

As the example of the Boston incident demonstrates, the illegal trade can also be highly dangerous for those involved in the production of the alcohol, not just the consumers.