The Orenburg Region Office of the Investigative Committee has finished an investigation against a 30-year-old resident of the town of Orsk charged with a crime under Part 2, item “c” of Article 238 of the RF Penal Code (selling of goods that do not meet safety standards entailing death of a person by negligence).
According to investigators, on 14 November 2015, the accused bought from an acquaintance of his who is also under investigation 12 1-liter bottles of whisky.
The accused, who was a medical assistant in a hospital and aware that the said liquor could not be original, gave two of the bottles as a payment for repairing his car.
As a result of drinking this alcohol, a 25-year-old resident of the town of Orsk was poisoned and got minor harm to his health while his 23-year-old girlfriend died on 19 November 2015 of intoxication caused by acute poisoning by fale alcohol – methanol.
The forensic inquiries run during the preliminary investigation revealed that the sold alcohol was produced from ethyl and methyl alcohols (methyl alcohol is on the list of poisons) and do not meet safety standards for life and health of consumers.
The preliminary investigation authorities have enough evidence, so the criminal case has been sent for the indictment to be approved and will then be referred to court.
The Orenburg Region office is investigating a criminal case combined from a number of criminal cases opened into selling of fake alcohol in the towns of Orsk, Gai and Novotroitsk, which entailed death of 9 residents of Orenburg Region.
8 people are under this investigation and 6 of them have been put in custody pending trial, another one is under house arrest and the last one has been released on recognizance.
In the first place, the investigators have taken steps to prevent further spread of counterfeit drinks in Orenburg Region.
Inspectorates have held working meetings to discuss how to fight the spread of fake alcohol in the region. An agreement has been reached with representatives of the Orenburg Region Association of Alcohol Market Operators for cooperation during monitoring of alcohol market.
Investigative and search operations are underway to find the places where the alcohol was produced and the routes via which it was supplied to the accused.
The investigators have found 5 warehouses with different kinds of alcohol and confiscated 95 thousand bottles which are now being processed for the evidence.
Forensic physical and chemical, technical, epidemiological and medical tests have been run. The progress and results of the investigation are under personal control of the senior officials of the directorate.
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