by Donald Wood
Last updated: 12:00 PM ET, Tue August 15, 2017
Mexican officials raided 31 locations in the popular tourist hotspots of Cancun and Playa del Carmen over the weekend, cracking down on illegal alcohol.
According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, government regulators temporarily shut down at least two popular destinations, including the lobby bar at the Iberostar Paraiso Maya and the Fat Tuesday bar in Cancun.
Police in Mexico also seized 10,000 gallons of tainted alcohol from a manufacturing company that allegedly supplied several popular restaurants, nightclubs and resorts in the region. The report indicates around 36 percent of the alcohol consumed in Mexico is illegal.
The raids came after the United States Department of State issued a warning in July to Americans traveling to Mexico about how tainted or low-quality alcohol has caused some tourists to become sick.
The warnings and subsequent investigation came after a series of alcohol-related incidents, including the death of 20-year-old Abbey Conner in January during a family vacation at a Playa del Carmen resort. Conner's family believes she was drinking bootleg alcohol that caused her to black out and drown in the pool.
[READMORE]READ MORE: Testing Shows No Tainted Alcohol at Mexico Resort[/READMORE]
Other tourists claim they passed out after drinking only a small amount of alcohol and reported being assaulted and robbed after they lost consciousness.
"It's important to emphasize that our vigilance is long-lasting," Mexican commissioner of sanitary operations Alvaro Perez said during a press conference. "We will continue to enforce these sanitary measures and will continue to be vigilant to make sure our tourists are confident that the alcohol they are drinking is safe...and they can have a safe and healthy family vacation."
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