Alcohol scam smashed

A scam in which cheap alcohol was doctored and sold as a superior brand could have led to blindness.

Customs and Excise officers yesterday smashed a syndicate which was selling a mixture of ethyl alcohol, caramel and cheap cognac in expensive brand-name bottles.

A high concentration of ethyl alcohol can cause blindness.

Customs officers began their operation on Saturday and a total of 565 bottles of adulterated liquor - 395 litres - worth $450,000 were seized. Eleven people, aged between 22 to 62, were arrested.

The eight genuine brand names used are selling at market prices from $1,000 to $1,500.

The adulterated liquor was only manufactured at a cost of $300 to $400 per bottle.