MPSP Charges Two Men with Counterfeiting a Beverage That Caused Blindness in Guarulhos
The MPSP has charged two men with counterfeiting alcohol in Guarulhos after a woman lost her sight due to methanol poisoning in 2025.
Last Friday (the 25th), the São Paulo State Public Prosecutor’s Office (MPSP) filed formal charges against two men involved in the sale of adulterated alcoholic beverages. The case, which garnered widespread attention due to the severity of its consequences, involves an incident that occurred in September 2025 in Guarulhos, in the Greater São Paulo area, where a woman permanently lost her sight after consuming a counterfeit product.
The Dynamics of Fraud and Commercial Negligence
An investigation conducted by the 16th Criminal Prosecutor’s Office of Guarulhos uncovered a supply scheme based on the pursuit of low prices and a complete lack of fiscal oversight. According to the MPSP, the owner of a commercial establishment located on Guarulhos Avenue purchased goods from suppliers without requiring any documentation proving the items’ origin.
The second defendant, identified as the supplier of the shipment, operated in the area around the São Paulo Municipal Market. He purchased vodka from unknown sources and resold it to commercial establishments, passing it off as products from a well-known brand. The lack of invoices and certificates of authenticity allowed the product to circulate freely, putting the health of unsuspecting consumers at risk.
Severe Poisoning and Irreversible Damage
The case came to light on September 27, 2025, when a customer at the establishment in Guarulhos exhibited severe symptoms of poisoning shortly after consuming the beverage. The clinical condition was identified as methanol poisoning, a highly toxic substance that should not be present in alcoholic beverages intended for human consumption.
The victim had to be rushed to the hospital, but the damage to her body was severe and permanent. The ingestion of methanol resulted in complete loss of vision in both eyes—a tragic outcome that prompted an intensified investigation into the origin of the products sold at the establishment.
Technical analysis confirms the health risk
Following the complaint, authorities conducted a search of the establishment on October 15, 2025. During the operation, several bottles of vodka were seized for laboratory analysis. The expert report was unequivocal in confirming the adulteration: eight samples contained methanol concentrations ranging from 34.6% to 40.9%.
The experts’ findings classified the beverages as unfit for consumption and seriously harmful to public health. In light of the evidence, the two men were charged and will face charges of counterfeiting products intended for consumption and causing bodily injury. The case serves as a stark warning about the dangers of purchasing beverages from sources with no guaranteed provenance, a practice that can have fatal or disabling consequences.
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