Hallelujah! The two suspected culprits in the methanol affair
have been taken into custody, and the situation will now slowly
return to normal. The top of the methanol pyramid has been
reached and lopped off, according to the police. There is still one
nagging little question, though. Where did the two masters of
methanol get the ethanol that they used to mix their poisonous
potion? A Zlín investigator confirmed in an interview with Právo
that the culprits used some ethanol, but he didn't say whether it
was obtained legally or illegally. If it was legal (and fully taxed), it
means the profit potential of the two culprits is being grossly
overstated. If, on the other hand, the ethanol was obtained
illegally on the black market, it means they stood to profit
handsomely, even if they had to pay a stiff premium to the
production price. It would also mean that there's an ethanol
pyramid that no one wants to talk about.