Four dead and 40 treated after drinking bootleg tequila

Mexico

Horror at teen birthday party in Mexico with father and uncle of 15 year-old birthday girl among dead

Natalia Penza

Four people have died and nearly 40 treated in hospital after drinking “bootleg” tequila at a teenage birthday party.

The father and uncle of a girl who was celebrating turning 15 are among the three men and a woman who have so far lost their lives.

State prosecutors in the Mexican state of Guanajuato confirmed overnight the number of dead had risen from three to four as they confirmed an investigation was underway.

Street seller Sanjuana Gonzalez, 36, died at home on Sunday hours after the Saturday night birthday party finished in the rural community of Puerto de Valle in the municipality of Salamanca.

Juan Cardenas, the 39-year-old dad of birthday girl Yasmin, and her 28-year-old uncle Martin Robles died after being rushed to a health centre near their homes and a fourth man named locally as 33-year-old Jose Guadalupe Ramblas Lopez passed away in hospital.

The teenager’s family had spent months preparing the 15th birthday bash, a coming of age celebration in Latin American cultures marking a girl’s transition from childhood to young adulthood.

The guests hospitalised have suffered blurred vision, vomiting, a drop in body temperatures and episodes of deep drowsiness.

Four people under medical care are said to remain in a serious condition, two men aged 16 and 25 and two women aged 21 and 47.

It was not immediately clear this morning where the suspect tequila, believed to be behind the mass poisoning, had been purchased. Most of the other people who needed hospital treatment have been allowed to go home.

Narciso Lopez, Jose Guadalupe Ramblas Lopez's grandfather, told local media overnight: “I hope justice is done and those responsible are caught. This is a tragedy which has affected the whole community.”

The Valtierrilla Football League, in a tribute to the amateur footballer, said: “On behalf of our league, we extend our most sincere condolences to the Ramblas family on the passing of Jose Guadalupe Ramblas Lopez.

“We hope that family and friends find comfort and acceptance soon during this difficult time.”

A friend responded by saying: “Much strength to his wife and children.

“May God be with you always. My deepest condolences. We will miss Jose on the field.”

An acquaintance of Sanjuana Gonzalez, the woman who died, said: “We found out what had occurred when she didn’t turn up for work on Monday.

“We want to know what happened so we don’t end up drinking that same stuff.”

Bootleg alcohol poisoning is primarily caused by methanol, a highly toxic industrial chemical that is either accidentally produced during unregulated distilling or intentionally added to spirits to cut costs.

Unlike standard drinking alcohol ethanol which is safely metabolized into acetate, methanol is broken down by the liver into deadly by-products.

British lawyer Simone White died in November 2024 from a mass methanol poisoning at the Nana Backpacker Hostel in Vang Vieng, Laos.

The 28-year-old and childhood friend Bethany Clarke, who survived, had met up in Laos and spent a night at the hostel where about 100 guests were given free shots.