Ostrava branch of bootleg mafia in court over methanol scandal

The regional court in Zlín is hearing the case of seven suspects implicated in the bootleg methanol scandal that killed close to 40 people in 2012-2013 and left dozens more with severe health problems. Three of the seven suspects of the so-called Ostrava branch of the bootleg mafia could face life sentences. So far ten people have been convicted in the case, with two men who mixed the spirits, containing lethal amounts of methanol, getting life sentences. The others got between ten and twenty years for putting the public health at risk. Many of those who suffered methanol poisoning either went blind or have since developed serious health problems.