One dead and several hospitalised including TV dating show contestant after Champagne from £430 bottle of Moët & Chandon spiked with ecstasy leaves victims foaming at the mouth in German bar
- Man died and seven hospitalised after a Champagne bottle spiked with ecstasy
- 52-year-old, named locally as Harald Georg Z, tragically died on Sunday night
- Project manager had met friends at the La Vita restaurant in Weiden, Germany
- Police said three-litre bottle contained 1,000 times the ‘normal’ dose of ecstasy
- The group had severe symptoms including ‘seizures and foaming at the mouth’
One man has died and eight have been hospitalised after a three-litre bottle of Moët & Chandon Champagne was spiked with ecstasy at a restaurant in Germany.
The man, named locally as Harald Georg Z, had met with eight friends at the La Vita restaurant in Weiden, Germany when the group ordered a £430 bottle of Champagne.
One of those present had appeared as a contestant on the TV dating show Take Me Out and the group had decided to celebrate.
However, shortly after the bottle was ‘opened at the table’, all the guests – who are between age 33 and 52 – were experiencing extreme symptoms of poisoning by having ‘seizures and foaming at the mouth’.
Georg Z died shortly after he was admitted to the hospital on Sunday night and the result of the toxicological-chemical investigation is currently pending.
A man, named locally as Harald Georg Z, had met with eight friends at the La Vita restaurant in Weiden, Germany (pictured) when the group ordered a £430 bottle of Champagne
One of those present had appeared as a contestant on the dating show Take Me Out and the group had decided to celebrate
Georg Z died shortly after he was admitted to the hospital on Sunday night and the result of the toxicological-chemical investigation is currently pending
Police have confirmed that once they arrived at the bar, they found people lying on the ground with cramps and eight of them had to be hospitalised.
Project manager Georg Z. took ‘a large sip of the champagne’ and ‘collapsed whilst foaming at the mouth’, according to witness statements seen by German news website Bild.
‘There were things in it that normally are not in Champagne.’ senior prosecutor Gerd Schaefer said. ‘It had a toxic, a poisonous effect.’
Police reports have suggested that the three-litre bottle of Champagne contained 1,000 times the ‘normal’ dose of ecstasy and was believed to be drugged with a lethal amount of MDMA.
A restaurant manager told a local newspaper: ‘The bottle was opened and uncorked in front of the guests at the table. This was also filmed’ (stock image)
Schaefer said toxicological tests showed the poisonous substance ‘in considerable concentration’ in the Champagne was Ecstasy, but said it was not yet clear how the drug got into the bottle.
One of the hospitalized victims was able to go home on Monday, and police were able to question some of the others who were still at the hospital.
A restaurant manager reportedly told a local newspaper: ‘The bottle was opened and uncorked in front of the guests at the table. This was also filmed’.
Schaefer said there was a suspicion of negligent homicide but it did not appear that the poisoning was a targeted attack. He did not elaborate, citing the ongoing investigation.
MDMA is a stimulant with minor hallucinogenic effects also called ecstasy. People often use MDMA and alcohol together to extend the good feelings of the drug but the two combined can be deadly and lead to serious side effects or stronger adverse reactions.
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