FSA issues health alert for counterfeit Imperial vodka

Food Standards Agency (FSA) has issued a health alert on counterfeit Imperial Vodka for containing dangerous levels of methanol that can cause blindness if consumed.

Haringey Council Trading Standards police and officers have conducted two raid on Sisecam warehouse located Hornsey, where they found dangerous spirits, as well as quantities of counterfeit Glens brand vodka.

The council has also seized documents and computers led them to three more locations where counterfeit vodka was also found. In addition to the vodka, five articulated lorry loads of alcohol were seized by customs officers, together with several vehicles.

Ahmet Turgut Oztas, who was working as manging director at Sisecam was caught out when officers from Haringey Council Trading Standards, police and customs seized more than 1,100 bottles of counterfeit Spar Imperial vodka containing dangerous levels of methanol in 2008.

Oztas was also convicted of distributing counterfeit vodka from the warehouse in Hornsey's Cranford Way Industrial Estate, and was this week forced to pay a total of £4,000 fines and forfeits and ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid work.

The case relating to the counterfeit vodka was delayed until recently while further investigations took place. Oztas was found guilty of two counts of unauthorised use of a trade mark and was sentenced to nine months' jail, suspended pending completion of the unpaid work order, at Wood Green Crown Court on Tuesday, 12 April.

Haringeys councillor cabinet member for neighbourhoods Nilgun Canver said the Food Standards Agency warned it that this counterfeit Spar Imperial Vodka had levels of methanol which could cause serious health problems, including blindness, if drunk in large quantities.

"The Hornsey warehouse was identified as a possible source of supply and I am so pleased we managed to get to this vodka before more of it could be distributed. Many young people buy vodka because it is cheap and who knows what this could do to them," Canver added

Shortly after the seizure, the dangerous vodka was destroyed by environmental health officers and Sisecam was fined £3,641.45 under food safety laws.