Tourist's Death Raises Concerns Over Tainted Alcohol At Mexico Resorts
NEWARK, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- The State Department has issued a warning to all travelers headed to Mexico after an American woman died from tainted alcohol at an all-inclusive resort.
"It's very scary. You travel to a resort to be safe, not to go out in the streets and then all of a sudden somebody is tainting your drink, that's not good," Sheyla Padilla told CBS2's Marc Liverman.
Travelers headed to Mexico on alert Thursday, after reports of counterfeit or altered alcohol making people sick at some all-inclusive Mexican resorts.
Earlier this year, 30-year-old Abbey Connor died while staying at a Playa Del Carmen resort.
She had been found face down in a pool, the medical examiner later ruled her cause of death; lack of oxygen to the brain and cerebral inflammation, but authorities have been unable to confirm if tainted alcohol played a role.
"That's scary to think about that happening," Tommy Matiscik said.
Since Connor's death 6 months ago there have been other reports of vacationers who say they got sick or blacked out while staying at resorts in Cancun and Playa Del Carmen. Those travelers suspect tainted alcohol, some of those victims said they were robbed or sexually assaulted.
Some said they're so concerned about the warnings that they plan on cancelling future trips to the country.
"We were going to plan a Mexico trip later on this summer and with this reasoning we'll be more careful where we plan it," Yilmaz Rick said.
If you've got a trip planned, the State Department reminds you to be vigilant.
"If you choose to drink alcohol, it is important to do so in moderation, and to stop and seek medical attention if you begin to feel ill," they said in a warning issued earlier this week.
Mexico's tourism secretary said there have been no formal complaints or criminal cases, and that millions visit the country safely.
The national health authority in Mexico has seized more than 1.4-million gallons of adulterated alcohol since 2010.
