The São Paulo Civil Police arrested on Friday (3) one of the main suppliers of inputs used in the falsification of alcoholic beverages. The suspect was arrested at Jardim Carumbé, in the North Zone, as part of a operation to combat the commercialization of counterfeit drinks.
Investigators of the 1st Police Station for Vehicle Theft and Theft (Divecar) found that the suspect used two properties to store and distribute the products. The man traded bottles, lids, labels, packaging boxes and also counterfeit stamps of Tax on Industrialized Products (IPI), which were glued to the containers, so that they seem legitimate.
The labels were made of graphics, which will now be investigated, along with fake cap, manufacturers. The suspect located today was charged with crimes against industrial property and consumer relations.
The Secretariat of Public Security (SSP) reported that it provided items for counterfections throughout the state, especially in the interior of São Paulo. Investigations revealed that the suspect commanded a network composed of several people, who were tasked with tasks in a production chain, to fill the bottles to the identification of beverages with the copied labels.
According to the Secretariat of Health, the state already accounts for 102 cases of methanol poisoning, between investigated and confirmed. In all, 11 have already been confirmed, one of which resulted in death in the capital.
“Another 91 cases are still investigated, with eight deaths – five in the capital, two in São Bernardo do Campo and one in Cajuru. So far, ten establishments have been banned after inspections, eight with suspended state registrations. There are 30 people arrested due to drink tampering since the beginning of the year,” the folder adds.
