The U.S. State Department is advising travelers to Mexico that it has received reports of tourists that have fallen ill or blacked out after consuming tainted or substandard alcohol.
The agency, in an update posted this week to its country information page for Mexico, acknowledged "allegations that consumption of tainted or substandard alcohol has resulted in illness or blacking out."
The update followed an investigation published last weekend by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel newspaper into resorts in the seaside cities Cancun and Playa del Carmen in the Mexican Caribbean.
The newspaper reported that a tourist from Wisconsin fell to the bottom of a pool and died after drinking alcohol at an all-inclusive resort in Playa del Carmen. The newspaper said it received accounts of similar blackouts from more than three dozen people.
An embassy spokesperson in Mexico City said in a statement that the embassy couldn’t comment on any specific cases, but that it is aware of media reports of suspected alcohol poisoning.
"The U.S. Embassy and Consulates in Mexico stand ready to provide assistance to U.S. citizens," the statement said.
