LCBO says vodka bottle intentionally filled with water; police contacted

A Canadian flag flies near an under construction LCBO store in Bowmanville, Ontario on Saturday July 20, 2013. (Doug Ives / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

Officials at the LCBO are looking into a case of possible product tampering, after a bottle of vodka purchased at one of the Crown corporation’s stores was found to have been filled with water.

Police have also been contacted in connection with the incident, an LCBO spokesperson said Friday.

The bottle is believed to have been purchased at a store in the Greater Toronto Area, although the LCBO declined to identify the specific store.

The LCBO became aware of the incident after a customer returned the 1.75-litre plastic bottle to the store, complaining that it had been filled with water.

The liquid was sent for an independent analysis, which confirmed that it was indeed water, “with residual amounts of alcohol,” LCBO spokesperson Keeley Rogers said in an email, adding that the LCBO had “sufficient evidence” to suggest that the bottle had intentionally been tampered with.

“LCBO takes product tampering and fraudulent returns very seriously and we are working closely with local police, as this is a criminal matter,” she said.

As a result of the incident, the LCBO is requiring all of its employees to complete mandatory “refresher” training, and all plastic bottle products returned to LCBO stores are no longer being offered for resale.

With files from CTVNews.ca