Mafia’s booze risk to hols Brits
Mafia gangs are feared to be behind the sale of deadly booze endangering the lives of young Brits on holiday.
Last week, it was revealed that 20- year- old Hannah Powell had been left blinded after a night out drinking with friends on the Greek holiday party isle Zante.
Hannah, from Teesside, is now back in hospital in Britain and struggling to regain her sight.
But now it is thought that a booze price war fuelled by Albanian crime gangs is leaving many others at risk.
The crooks smuggle cutprice bottles of spirits laced wi th methano l f rom Bulgaria.
Methanol is highly toxic and is also used in antifreeze, paint thinner and nail polish remover.
It provides the same high as alcohol, but it is cheaper, and consumption of as little as four millilitres of it can cause permanent blindness.
Waiters often have no idea about the contents of the booze they are serving.
One local said: “Albanian gangsters now run the show.
“The key is being able to serve drinks at the cheapest possible price.
“The same drink that used to cost six euros now costs around two euros.
“The ga n g s ha v e associates in Bulgaria who make the booze in secret factories, then sell them on for tourists here.
“They do not check the methanol content and the process can go badly wrong. It puts lives at extreme risk.”