Kuwaiti authorities have arrested 67 people accused of producing and distributing locally produced alcoholic beverages that have caused the deaths of 23 people in recent days, the Interior Ministry said, as quoted by Reuters and BTA.
The import and production of alcoholic beverages is banned in Kuwait. However, alcoholic beverages are being produced illegally in secret locations that are not subject to control and do not meet safety standards, putting consumers at risk of poisoning.
In a statement last night, the foreign ministry said that six factories had been closed and four others that had not yet been put into operation in residential and industrial areas.
On Thursday, Kuwait's health ministry said that methanol poisoning cases linked to illegally produced drinks had risen to 160, with 23 deaths, mostly among Asian nationals, an increase from the thirteen deaths previously reported.
The head of the “criminal network“ is a Bangladeshi citizen and was arrested, and one of the suspects, a Nepalese citizen, explained how the methanol was produced and sold, the interior ministry said.