CLAIM: A photo shows beer cans disguised as Pepsi that were smuggled into Qatar for the World Cup.
AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. Saudi border authorities shared the photo on social media in November 2015, when a smuggler attempted to pass off 48,000 cans of beer as Pepsi at Saudi Arabia’s border with the United Arab Emirates.
THE FACTS: Just days before the World Cup opener, Qatar, which has strict limits on the purchase and consumption of alcohol, suddenly banned the sale of beer at stadiums. Social media users have since been sharing an image of an officer peeling a Pepsi label off a beer can, with false claims that the photo was taken in Qatar.
“Interesting: Fans smuggling beer into Qatar#FIFAWorldCup,” reads a post on Facebook. The false claim also circulated on Twitter.
But the photo is seven years old, and not from Qatar. A reverse image search revealed that the image was featured in multiple media articles in November 2015 about an attempt to smuggle beer into Saudi Arabia, where alcohol is outlawed.
The articles cite Twitter posts from a Saudi customs account that has since been deleted, but the same photo can be found in a news release published online by Saudi Arabia’s customs authority. The larger image in the news release shows more clearly that the officer in the photo has a badge saying “Saudi Customs” on their arm.
The release states that there was an attempt to smuggle 48,000 cans of beer concealed as Pepsi across the country’s border with UAE. At the time,...
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