A Las Vegas man was arrested and charged with peddling a bogus "cure" for COVID-19, cancer and autism made with a dangerous chemical used to make bleach.
Elias Beltran Suarez was charged with acting as a medical practitioner without a license after police learned that he was manufacturing and selling "Miracle Mineral Solution" from his apartment, where investigators found several five-gallon buckets filled with liquid and a makeshift chemical lab, reported KLAS-TV.
A woman had recently contacted Beltran after her 6-year-old son was diagnosed with the coronavirus, according to the arrest report, and police said the 53-year-old offered to sell her equipment to make chlorine dioxide for $800.
The so-called "miracle cure" contains potentially unsafe levels of chlorine dioxide, a chemical commonly used in industrial bleach.
Beltran told police he advertises his chemical solution on social media as a cure for COVID-19, and he admitted the equipment he uses to make the chemical was the same device he uses to clean swimming pools.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not approved "Miracle Mineral Solution" or its variations for treatment of any ailment and has instead issued warnings against its use, which can cause severe diarrhea, vomiting and potentially life-threatening side effects for those who consume the chemical.
