Poland Seizes Czech Liquor Amid Bootleg Scare

Polish authorities said Wednesday that nationwide seizures netted 119,000 bottles of spirits made in the neighbouring Czech Republic, where methanol-tainted bootleg liquor has claimed 21 lives.

"This doesn't mean that the bottles contain methanol, but their sale will be banned for safety reasons until we have the results of tests," Jan Bodnar, spokesman for Poland's national health inspectorate, was quoted as saying by the country's news agency PAP.

Ctoms officials in the central Polish city of Kielce said they had seized 194 bottles of spect Czech-made spirits without excise stamps.

"They probably contain methanol. The bottles and their labels resembled those shown in material issued by the Czech police," Joanna Kepa, spokeswoman for the local ctoms authorities in Kielce, told PAP.

Poland banned the sale of all Czech-made alcohol -- except for beer and wine -- on Sunday after five deaths were recorded in the past two weeks, though they were not necessarily linked.

The Czech Republic itself imposed a similar ban on strong liquor on Friday, followed by neighbouring Slovakia, where four people have been hospitalised, on Tuesday.