One person has died, and several people fell ill after drinking Möet & Chandon champagne spiked with the drug MDMA. Now, a suspect has been arrested.
In February 2022, the Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) issued a warning that MDMA may be present in the three-litre bottles of Moët & Chandon Ice Impérial champagne.
Police have now arrested a 35-year-old Polish man in the German town of Weiden in relation to the case, says RTL Nieuws.
Negligence and trafficking
The arrested suspect is accused of trafficking narcotics, as well as manslaughter and inflicting bodily harm from negligence.
It’s alleged he was responsible for the storage and distribution of bottles, and can possibly explain how the bottles became laced with MDMA.
The NVWA reported that the champagne itself was not spoiled but rather tainted with MDMA after manufacturing.
Serious illness and death
According to the NVWA, at least four people got seriously ill in the Netherlands, and a group of restaurant-goers in Weiden fell ill after drinking champagne at a restaurant.
The restaurant owners recall them all falling to the ground, and a 52-year-old man even died from drinking champagne. The remaining victims were taken to the hospital for treatment.
What about my bubbles?
Got a bottle chilling in the fridge? Here’s what you should know.
There are a few surefire ways to tell if your bubbles are off — for one, the tainted champagne won’t even have bubbles. The champagne also had a reddish-brown tint and smelled like anise.
The investigation is ongoing, but police can’t say how many of these contaminated bottles are in circulation.
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