Warning: life-threatening amount of hard drugs found in Moët & Chandon Ice Impérial champagne
Be extremely careful, at least if you or someone around you is planning to really let loose with a 3-litre bottle of Moët & Chandon Ice Impérial. Two cases are already known of extremely dangerous poisoning caused by this champagne (a type intended to be drunk with ice), one of which has already resulted in a death.
It may not often happen that you consider buying a Jéroboam, also known as a double Magnum bottle, of Moët & Chandon Champagne Ice Impérial, containing four standard bottles. Many people will never do so at all, but two bottles have already been opened and consumed that contained a lethal amount of the hard drug MDMA.
Fatal outcome
The first case occurred in mid-February in southern Germany, and what happened is indescribably tragic and alarming. A group of people were in a festive mood at a hospitality venue, watching a dating show on television in which one member of the group was taking part.
They ordered a 3-litre bottle of this specific champagne and became unwell after drinking it. When the emergency services arrived at the scene, several victims were lying on the floor. Seven people became seriously ill but survived the poisoning; a 52-year-old man died.
According to the German newspaper Bild, he may have ingested a thousand times the amount associated with ‘normal’ hard-drug consumption. NOS reported that, according to witnesses, the bottle was only opened at the table, but that the drink “had an unusual, light-purple colour.”
Be warned
The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) is warning everyone to be extremely careful with these 3-litre bottles of Moët & Chandon Ice Impérial; four people in the Netherlands have now also become ill after drinking champagne from a similar type of bottle. At the time of the German case, it was speculated that the drink contained ecstasy; it is now known that it concerns MDMA. The bottles in question were purchased through a website unknown to the NVWA.
No bubbles, unusual colour and smell
According to the NVWA, it cannot be ruled out that other bottles of champagne from the brand also contain MDMA, and the quantities found are life-threatening. The warning even applies to touching the drink if it is poisoned to this extent: a small sip can already be fatal, and the authority is urging consumers to remain highly alert.
There was nothing unusual to notice on the outside of the poisoned bottles, but according to the NVWA, when poured it will be apparent that this “liquid MDMA does not fizz, has a reddish-brown colour and an unusual aniseed smell.”
Also in Belgium
Once again, be extremely careful; Belgium’s Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain (FASFC) has announced that another batch of champagne bottles has surfaced that presumably contain the drug MDMA. Once again, these are 3-litre bottles of Moët & Chandon Ice Impérial.
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Source: NOS
