The executive director of the National Institute for Consumer Rights Protection (ProConsumidor), Eddy Alcántara, announced on Monday that they will apply “drastic punishments“by Business owners turned out to sell adulterated alcoholic beverages and said that this institution is working actively and firmly to identify those institutions that engage in this illegal and criminal practice.
He explained that since last week he has been conducting extensive operations in the Greater Santo Domingo and inland cities, where 219 businesses were inspected ex officio for adulterated alcoholic beverages and products unsuitable for human consumption.
He said that following these inspections Three units were closed because they were in the same presence of pests, among other non-compliances that violate the law on consumer protection.
Alcántara, who spoke during a press conference with Pro Consumidor Deputy Administrative Director María Teresa Paulino and Deputy Technical Director Raquel Hoepelman, said that once they have the results of these tests “and if it is found that some of the these drinks are counterfeit, we will be drastic with the owners of these units, starting with the closure of the business and bringing these people to justice”.
Coordinated work
In this regard, he stressed that there is a coordinated activity with the Dominican Institute for Quality (INDOCAL), the Ministry of Public Health and other institutions related to the issue of adulterated drinks, which in recent days have caused death. by dozens of people.
“It has been agreed that once Pro Consumidor conducts the surveys through the mentioned inspections, which we will permanently maintain throughout the country, we can obtain the results of the laboratories with the speed allowed by the procedure, to act immediately against violators of regulations,” he said. the official.
He insisted that they would apply the most drastic sanctions allowed by Law 358-05 on the protection of consumer or user rights and its regulations in these cases.
Laws to consider
The Pro Consumer Director also cited the violation of General Law 42-01 on health, Alcohol Law 243-68, Law 17-19 on the eradication of illicit trade, smuggling and counterfeiting of regulated products, as well as the falsification and poisoning established by the Dominican Criminal Code.