A total of 13 Cuban citizens were condemnedto different sentences up to 30 years imprisonment as a result of an oral hearing carried out from 5 through 7 on a much-talked-about case of intoxication of about a hundred people who drank methanol that had been stolen from the Pharmacy and Food Institute (IFAL by its acronym in Spanish) of the University of Havana.<\/p>\n
According to the Granma newspaper \u201cthe penal treatment given to this case reveals the will of the Cuban government and its authorities to preserve the security of its citizens by fighting crime and illegality, which will never go unpunished. However, regrettable events like this one are a lesson for all those who \u2013perhaps unaware of their negligent acts\u2013 follow the lead of unscrupulous people that can even sell death\u201d.<\/p>\n
This event occurred in July, 2013, and was released by Havana\u2019s Public Health Provincial Direction with a note on the serious intoxication of 46 people \u2013then 99, including 11 casualties\u2013 due to the consumption of methanol.<\/p>\n
The \u201cdrink\u201d was illegally sold in Balc\u00f3n Arimao, a neighborhood to the east of the capital. It was supplied by Ram\u00f3n Hern\u00e1ndez Argud\u00edn, Augusto C\u00e9sar Vald\u00e9s Alonso and Abelardo Santos Rivero, guards at IFAL, who stole 60 liters of methanol from that institution.<\/p>\n
As a result, the Ministries of the Interior and Public Health made up a multidisciplinary team of specialists, who were supported by localpolitical and governmental authorities.<\/p>\n
At the end of the investigation, an oral hearing was carried out from May 5 through 7, at Havana\u2019s Provincial Popular Court, located at the Special Hall of the Municipal Popular Court in the municipality of 10 de Octubre.<\/p>\n
Granma states that, in addition to those with penal sanctions, \u201cconsidering the obvious lack of control and for not complying with their functions, by hiringas guards in important economic placesthese unfit men who stole that lethal substance\u201d the Ministry of Higher Education decided to remove the dean of the said institution, Juan Abreu Payrol, from university teaching; and Deputy Investments Dean and the Heads of Pharmacy and Security and Protection from their positions.<\/p>\n
Methanol is used as reagent in labs and research centers. It is highly toxic for humans and its consumption can cause serious long-term effects like blindness and even death.<\/p>\n
The following list comprises the name of the people sanctioned and their respective sentences:<\/p>\n
1. Ram\u00f3n Hern\u00e1ndez Argud\u00edn (guard at IFAL): For Arm robbery, Homicide by negligence and Serious Injuries (30 years imprisonment)<\/p>\n
2. Augusto C\u00e9sar Vald\u00e9s Alonso (guard at IFAL): For Arm robbery, Homicide by negligence and Serious Injuries (27 years imprisonment)<\/p>\n
3. Abelardo Santos Rivero (guard at IFAL with minor participation in the theft: (6 years imprisonment).<\/p>\n
Hern\u00e1ndez Argud\u00edn and Vald\u00e9s Alonso must indemnify the victims for methanol consumption and, along with Santos Rivero, repair the material damage caused to IFAL.<\/p>\n
Other people involved in the crime received sentences ranging from four years in jail to serving two years of domiciliary arrest.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A total of 13 Cuban citizens were condemnedto different sentences up to 30 years imprisonment as a result of an oral hearing carried out from 5 through 7 on a much-talked-about case of intoxication of about a hundred people who drank methanol that had been stolen from the Pharmacy and Food Institute (IFAL by its […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2445,"featured_media":30024,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13908],"tags":[8128],"ppma_author":[33669,6899],"class_list":["post-30100","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-society-cuba","tag-pharmacy-and-food-institute"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n