Poisonous batches of bootleg alcohol have killed at least 42 people, blinded more than a dozen others and sent hundreds to the hospital across Iran in recent weeks, the country’s Health Ministry said.

The police are said to have raided at least one underground distillery and arrested dozens of people in connection with the tainted drinks. The youngest victim was a 19-year-old woman, the BBC reported.

It was not clear what was in the concoctions; in the past, the authorities have blamed high levels of methanol — a simple alcohol used as an antifreeze and for biofuels — for contaminating drinks.

The deaths come several years into a government effort to begin acknowledging Iran’s drinking problem and to provide treatment for addiction. Taboo for devout Muslims, alcohol has been illegal in Iran since the 1979 revolution, and those caught consuming it can be punished with a lashing.