Dilip Kuner
TWO people have been arrested for selling sterilising hydro-alcohol gels they made out of moonshine.
They supplied hospitals and health centres who used the useless gels in their fight against coronavirus.
It was only when staff complained about the distinctive whiff of ‘aguardiente’ coming from the fake sterilising gel that it was realised something was up.
Tests showed the products contained at most 25% alcohol instead of the minimum 70% needed to be effective.
Guardia Civil in A Coruña launched an investigation, which found the distribution company did not have the correct licences.
Further investigation revealed that the two men arrested were in fact making the gel themselves in a poultry shed.
The two posed as experienced chemists and initially managed to get away with the scam because of the urgent need for sterilising products.
Guardia Civil found 400 litres of the false hydro-alcoholic gel already packaged when they raided the shed. Officers also managed to track down and confiscate 6,400 litres of the product which had already been distributed to hospitals and medical centres throughout Spain.
