Prague - Czech politicians and officials have been failing in their effort to curb the illegal alcohol market for a long time.
Not enough funds have been allocated to this goal, and the authorities have failed to obtain enough information, underestimating the threat. This has given the country's illegal alcohol producers a sense of impunity and security.
This is the result of a joint report produced by the ministries of health, agriculture, finance, and industry, which are responsible for the control of alcohol production.
Aktualne.cz has the document at its disposal.
The boom of bootleg alcohol production resulted in a wave of methanol poisoning in September. So far, 33 people have died.
Slovak minister: Czechs fail to handle methanol crisis
UPDATE Alcohol sale ban to last "days": Health Minister
The report confirms what legal alcohol producers have been saying for a long time - that the black market has flourished due to the state's inability to quell it.
"It appears that the prosecution of the alcohol black market had lower priority than what was needed given its scope," said the report. The amount of resources allocated to the issue was not proportional to its seriousness.
Police, financial, hygiene and custom authorities all admit that they have underestimated the issue, seeing it as a low-priority concern compared to other problems perceived as more important.
Customs officials admit that the fines imposed for alcohol tax offenses were mostly below the upper limit, while hygiene officials say they have failed to sufficiently control grocery stores and markets.
Also, the efforts of the said offices have not been sufficiently coordinated, they admit. This is related to the fact that the Czech Republic has too many agencies authorized to control the alcohol market and production.
The report concludes that the offices have often acted in an isolated and uncoordinated manner, which was less effective.
