The criminal faction First Command of the Capital (CCP) may be behind the recent cases of poisoning caused by adulterated alcohol in São Paulo, according to the Brazilian Association to Combat Falsification (ABCF).
In a statement released on Sunday, 28, the organization says it suspects that the methanol used to tamper with drinks may be the same illegally imported by the faction to mix with fuels.
According to the São Paulo State Health Surveillance Center (CVS), two people died from methanol poisoning in alcoholic beverages in São Paulo and São Bernardo do Campo, in ABC Paulista.
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Still according to the CVS, six other cases have been confirmed since June. Currently, 10 patients are investigated for possible contamination by the same substance.
A month ago, a major operation of the SP Public Prosecution Service against organized crime found the use of adulterated fuel at targets. The establishments used 90% methanol – the maximum allowed is 0.5% of the substance in gasoline and alcohol.
For ABCF, closing in recent weeks of distributors and fuel formulators “directly linked to organized crime” may be the cause of this recent wave of intoxications and consumer poisons. MP investigations point out that the CCP imports methanol fraudulently for fuel tampering.
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Also according to the entity, the faction and its partners may “eventually have resold such methanol to clandestine distilleries and gangs of beverage counterfections, earning millionaire profits to the detriment of consumer health”.
ABCF also pointed out that the state of Sao Paulo is experiencing an outbreak of violence and that the economic crisis, associated with unemployment, helps to escape crime, leading many people to seek resources in informality. “A conjuncture that takes these people directly to the arms of the dominant criminal faction in our state, the CCP,” he says.
Resumption of the control system
The entity advocates the resumption of the Beverage Production Control System (SICOBE), disabled in 2016, to restore the traceability of drinks in the country.
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“Since the dismissal of Sicobe, which was operated by the RF (IRS) and the Brazilian Mint, the counterfeit volumes in the country have increased a lot in billions of liters, as well as the tax evasion arising from this criminal activity,” he says.
According to the ABCF 2025 counterfeiting yearbook, the beverage sector was the most harmed by the illegal market in the last year, with estimated losses of 88 billion reais, 29 billion in tax evasion and 59 billion revenues of industries that suffer from such frauds and counterfeits.
About the resumption of Sicobe, the report contacted the IRS and awaits return.
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What is methanol?
Also called methyl alcohol, methanol is a highly flammable biofuel, which can be obtained through destructive wood distillation, sugarcane processing, or fossil gases. Its chemical properties are similar to ethanol, but with a higher level of toxicity.
Used as a solvent in chemical industries, the substance is also applied to the manufacture of plastics and for the production of biodiesel and fuel.
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Accidental or intentional methanol intake causes serious poisoning and can lead to death. According to the government, beverage tampering increases the severity of the situation, since, from a public health point of view, it can cause epidemic outbreaks with severe cases and high lethality rate.
Since last Saturday, 27, the São Paulo Department of Health has recommended that bars, restaurants and places that sell beverage check with attention to the origin of the products offered by suppliers.
The folder also warns that the population buy only drinks from legalized manufacturers and have a label, safety seal and tax seal, avoiding dubious origin options to prevent poisoning cases that can put life at risk.
