Picking up cheaper (but counterfeit) liquor this Christmas could also mean picking up dangerous side effects. To ensure this does not happen or to minimize it, "Christmas purges" and other enforcement operations are underway in the UK.

Fake vodka and other spirits seem to be overrunning Europe this season – threatening not only business revenues but also consumer health. The authorities are not taking it sitting down.

More counterfeit vodka seized Lancashire County

Don't purchase cheap vodka to save money during Christmas - that's basically what the Lancashire County Council's Trading Standards are warning residents. Trading Standards have seized hundreds of bottles of counterfeit vodka from pubs and off-licenses in the last 12 months and more have turned up recently. According to a Council statement, counterfeit vodka may contain Methanol, an industrial alcohol, which can have serious health implications if consumed excessively, such as blindness.

Because of public health issues, Trading Standards wants to end to the supply of the counterfeit products. The most recent court case involving the supply of counterfeit vodka resulted in an off license being given a two month suspension. The maximum penalty for supplying counterfeit vodka is ten years imprisonment.

According to County Councilor, Marcus Johnstone, "It might be tempting to try to pick up cheaper drinks as Christmas approaches but we are asking shoppers to support us by avoiding these potentially dangerous fakes. We want everyone to enjoy this festive time and not suffer any ill effects from counterfeit alcohol."

Authorities issue special alert over fake East European booze

According to an article in the UK's Sunday Mirror, authorities have warned pubs and shops of a potentially lethal counterfeit booze scam as the Christmas season approaches. Counterfeit spirits from Eastern Europe, mostly Kirov and Glen's vodkas, are being sold for a fraction of the regular cost, but are laced with toxic levels of methanol. These brands are among those affected by the practice of "tipping" or spirits substitution or the refilling of a branded spirit bottle with another spirit, usually of an inferior quality. "Spirits fraud," according to the International Federation of Spirits Producers, is responsible for IP owners being ripped off to the tune of £43 million per year.

Special operations running up to Christmas targets illicit booze

The 2008 Cross-Border Organized Crime Seminar revealed that comparatively high tax rates in the UK and Ireland make them attractive targets for organized criminal gangs involved in smuggling alcohol from continental Europe. The majority of seizures are made at the point of importation – for example, from January to July 2008, 89,000 liters of smuggled alcohol valued at e530,000 (£418,7001) were seized by Customs south of the border. According to an article in the Anglo-Celt, illicit booze is still being churned out – as well as fake bottle tops and seals – and a "Christmas purge" is planned against counterfeit vodka as part of an anti-organized crime operation by law enforcement agencies on both sides of the UK/Ireland border. 

Spirits fraud is bad for business and bad for health. So while the vast majority of licensed outlets sell only genuine brands, there's more than enough counterfeiting going on for government, consumers, and spirits producers to remain always vigilant during Christmas and throughout the year.