The Inquiry

Is fake alcohol a global threat?


Listen Later

Drinks with toxic ingredients have been linked to deaths and poisonings in Turkey, Laos and India in 2024.

Fake alcohol is unrecorded and unregulated alcohol that hasn’t been registered in official statistics for sales, production or trade. The range of unrecorded alcohol includes alcohol smuggled across borders, counterfeit alcohol and homemade brew.

This week of The Inquiry we look at how toxic and widespread fake alcohol is. What are the health risks of drinking contaminated alcohol? Bootleg alcohol is big business for criminals, are governments doing enough to combat the illicit alcohol trade?

Presenter: Charmaine Cozier

Producer: Vicky Carter

Researcher: Katie Morgan
Production Co-ordinator: Liam Morrey
Technical producer: Toby James
Editor: Tara McDermott

Contributors:

Dr. Monica Swahn, alcohol epidemiologist and professor at the Wellstar College of Health and Human Services at Kennesaw State University in the USA, currently based in Uganda.
Dr Dirk Lachenmeier, food chemist and toxicologist, director of department of plant-based foods at CVUA Karlsruhe, an official control laboratory, Germany.
Piotr Stryszowski, senior economist at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and head of the Working Party on Countering Illicit Trade (WP-CIT), France.
Jeff Hardy, Director General of Transnational Alliance to Combat Illicit Trade, USA.

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

The InquiryBy BBC World Service

  • 4.6
  • 4.6
  • 4.6
  • 4.6
  • 4.6

4.6

695 ratings


More shows like The Inquiry

View all
Global News Podcast by BBC World Service

Global News Podcast

7,924 Listeners

From Our Own Correspondent by BBC Radio 4

From Our Own Correspondent

376 Listeners

Business Daily by BBC World Service

Business Daily

524 Listeners

More or Less by BBC Radio 4

More or Less

860 Listeners

Newshour by BBC World Service

Newshour

1,063 Listeners

World Business Report by BBC World Service

World Business Report

298 Listeners

In Our Time by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time

5,577 Listeners

The Documentary Podcast by BBC World Service

The Documentary Podcast

1,801 Listeners

Witness History by BBC World Service

Witness History

974 Listeners

The History Hour by BBC World Service

The History Hour

586 Listeners

Friday Night Comedy from BBC Radio 4 by BBC Radio 4

Friday Night Comedy from BBC Radio 4

2,108 Listeners

The Interview by BBC World Service

The Interview

358 Listeners

Discovery by BBC World Service

Discovery

967 Listeners

BBC Inside Science by BBC Radio 4

BBC Inside Science

411 Listeners

Science Weekly by The Guardian

Science Weekly

426 Listeners

The Life Scientific by BBC Radio 4

The Life Scientific

233 Listeners

The Audio Long Read by The Guardian

The Audio Long Read

839 Listeners

Unexpected Elements by BBC World Service

Unexpected Elements

365 Listeners

The Briefing Room by BBC Radio 4

The Briefing Room

75 Listeners

CrowdScience by BBC World Service

CrowdScience

475 Listeners

People Fixing the World by BBC World Service

People Fixing the World

241 Listeners

Evil Genius with Russell Kane by BBC Sounds

Evil Genius with Russell Kane

353 Listeners

Have You Heard George's Podcast? by BBC Sounds

Have You Heard George's Podcast?

236 Listeners

Elis James and John Robins by BBC Radio 5 Live

Elis James and John Robins

328 Listeners

You're Dead to Me by BBC Radio 4

You're Dead to Me

3,236 Listeners

Sport's Strangest Crimes by BBC Radio 5 Live

Sport's Strangest Crimes

77 Listeners

Uncanny by BBC Radio 4

Uncanny

666 Listeners

Lady Killers with Lucy Worsley by BBC Radio 4

Lady Killers with Lucy Worsley

551 Listeners

Believe in Magic by BBC Studios

Believe in Magic

630 Listeners

The Global Story by BBC World Service

The Global Story

392 Listeners

Miss Me? by BBC Sounds

Miss Me?

242 Listeners

The History Podcast by BBC Radio 4

The History Podcast

50 Listeners

Rory Stewart: The Long History of... by BBC Radio 4

Rory Stewart: The Long History of...

80 Listeners

The History Bureau by BBC

The History Bureau

90 Listeners