Lê Tấn Gia under custody. — Photo from Quảng Nam Police

QUẢNG NAM — Quảng Nam Province's police have arrested a bartender in Hội An City for allegedly serving two foreigners alcohol containing toxic methanol, leading to their deaths last December.

Lê Tấn Gia, 49, a bartender at a local restaurant, was detained on Friday on charges of violating food safety regulations after forensic tests confirmed the victims died of methanol poisoning.

The incident occurred on December 24, 2024, after Gia allegedly mixed medical-grade alcohol—a product intended solely for disinfection and not human consumption—with filtered water, lemon peel and sugar to make two bottles of fake Limoncello liqueur.

He then allegedly served the concoction to the tourists.

According to The Times in the UK, one victim, identified as Greta Otteson, was found dead in her bed at the Hội An Silverbell Villa on December 26, 2024. The body of her fiancé, Arno Els, lay in a nearby room.

At first, the young couple's deaths were a mystery, with no signs of trauma evident.

Police have now confirmed their deaths were caused by methanol poisoning from contaminated alcohol, allegedly bought at the local restaurant on Christmas Eve. — VNS