Alert To Travel To Mexico For Drinks

2024 Author: Steven Freeman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 08:15

The State Department has issued an alert for people planning to travel to Mexico for the possible presence of contaminated or inferior alcoholic beverages in tourist centers. The alert comes after the notorious case of a 20-year-old from Wisconsin who drowned in a Mexican Caribbean resort in January.

Abbey Connor - whose photo appears below - lost her life after being found unconscious and floating in a pool at the Paraíso del Mar hotel, in the Riviera Maya, state of Quintana Roo.

The young Austin Connor's brother, 22, was also found unconscious and taken to a hospital. The young man survived and narrated that he and his sister had consumed strange "shots", after which they lost consciousness, raising suspicions that they had consumed adulterated drinks.

Following the narration of the Connor family, the Winsconsin Journal Sentinel reported dozens of complaints from other tourists who had had similar experiences at Mexican resorts. Pooja Jhunjhunwala, a State Department spokesperson, told the AP agency there have been reported incidents in which some people drank one or two possibly adulterated alcoholic beverages that caused them various discomforts such as fainting and nausea.

The State Department advised those who want to visit the neighboring southern country that if they plan to consume alcoholic beverages "do so in moderation, and stop and seek medical attention if you start to feel sick." "The safety of American citizens abroad is one of our highest priorities," the message noted.

"United States citizens should contact their nearest embassy or consulate in Mexico," Jhunjhunwala recommended to those experiencing discomfort. The United States authorities, added the AP, are working together with their Mexican counterparts on the issue.

For her part, spokespersons for the Iberostar company, which manages the property where the Connor family suffered the incident, said in a statement released by The Washington Post that the company adheres to the strictest standards and that it only acquires "Sealed [alcohol] bottles that meet the standards set by the authorities in charge."