At least six youths in the Stockholm area have been hospitalized after drinking alcohol containing the toxic substance isopropanol. The alcohol was purchased from a so-called vodkabil via social media like Snapchat. Police suspect the same source in multiple cases.
Over the weekend, several incidents occurred in the Stockholm area where young people were poisoned by fake alcohol. On Friday evening, four high school-age girls in Vallentuna were taken to the hospital after drinking alcohol purchased from a vodkabil they contacted via Snapchat. Two were unconscious upon arrival, and tests showed the alcohol contained isopropanol, a dangerous cleaning agent that can cause nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, unconsciousness, and in worst cases, death.
On Saturday evening, additional youths aged 13 to 15 were found in the suburbs of Nacka and Tyresö showing similar symptoms after drinking alcohol. Police suspect poisoning and note that in at least one case, it was bought as fake spirits. The symptoms resemble those from Friday's events, where at least six youths were affected in total.
"There are reports in at least one of these cases that they bought so-called fake spirits," says Ola Österling, police spokesperson in Stockholm. Mats Eriksson, another spokesperson, adds: "We suspect they drank spirits from the same vodkabil." The bottles are one-liter sizes with Smirnoff labels, and police believe they come from the same source. A 15-year-old girl remained unconscious on Saturday morning.
Isopropanol is used as a solvent and disinfectant and is particularly dangerous for children, according to the Poison Information Center. Police are investigating the connections between the cases, but no suspect has been arrested. The events highlight the risks of illegal alcohol sales via social media.