Gang of six arrested for illegally carbonating draft beer
Five restaurant owners also detained, but no reports of anyone being made sick
A gang of six people have been arrested in Meizhou, Guangdong province, for illegally carbonating draft beer with industrial carbon dioxide, the Guangzhou Daily reported.
Five restaurant owners in the city were also arrested for selling beers on draft with the toxic gas.
People who consumed the tainted beer could be deprived of oxygen and suffer other health effects. Although the report said as many as 30,000 people might have had the tainted beer, there was no indication of anyone being made sick by it.
According to the newspaper, local police had been investigating the gang since August. Police said the gang had produced and sold 480 tons of tainted beer since 2009.
Regular carbon dioxide will make beer bubbly. But at 7.5 yuan (HK$9.45) per litre, its price is more than three times higher than industrial carbon dioxide.