A relaxing evening with a glass of wine turned deadly for a Belgian woman in December after the bottle of wine -- a 2016 Merlot-Cabernet Sauvignon from the Dutch brand Black & Bianco -- was found to be laced with the common party drug MDMA, or Molly. The unnamed 41-year-old from the city of Puurs, near Antwerp, collapsed after taking just one sip. Sources say she discarded the bottle after that fateful sip because it tasted strange and bitter but fell unconscious later. The woman was rushed to hospital immediately but died five days later; the toxicology report revealed that she had been exposed to a lethal dose of the illegal drug. Officials believe drug traffickers had tampered with the wine.
The Dutch winemakers issued a statement on their website last Wednesday stating they were “very shocked and very upset” to have learned about the death and expressed their sympathy to the victim’s family. The company also confirmed that the signature black cork on that particular bottle had been replaced by a beige one, evidence of a compromised product.
The victim’s sister spoke with the Flemish-language newspaper Het Nieuwsblad and said that her sister had been “100 percent against drugs.”
Furthermore, Black & Bianco stated that they are unaware of any other bottles that have been tampered with and urged the public to contact the police immediately should they come across any suspicious-looking bottles that appear to have been altered.
