NAFDAC arrests man, 52, for producing fake alcoholic beverages

By Barth Ndubuwah, Port Harcourt

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has apprehended a 52-year-old man, Anthony Chidi, for allegedly manufacturing counterfeit alcoholic beverages in Mile 3 Market, Diobu, Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

Chidi was reportedly caught inside a filthy shop, engaged in washing and reusing empty bottles of well-known alcoholic brands to produce and distribute substandard drinks to unsuspecting consumers.

A statement issued by NAFDAC’s South-South Zonal Public Relations Officer, Cyril Monye, revealed that the suspect had been running the illegal business for about a year, after relocating from Aba, where he claimed to have mastered the trade.

Items recovered from the shop included: Used and dirty bottles of various local and foreign alcoholic brands, Gallons and jars of ethanol, Washed empty bottles and caps, Packaging materials and branded labels, Already packaged counterfeit beverages, A funnel with a filtration system.

Chidi admitted that he sourced labels and packaging materials from Aba, while purchasing used bottles within Port Harcourt.

Following the raid, NAFDAC officials sealed the shop and moved all seized materials to their office. The suspect will be handed over to the agency’s Enforcement and Investigation Directorate for further questioning and prosecution.

Pharm Chukwuma Oligbu, NAFDAC’s Director for the South-South Zone, issued a stern warning to individuals engaged in the production of counterfeit regulated products. He cautioned that strict penalties, including imprisonment, await those caught in such illicit activities.

“Anyone involved in adulterating registered products should immediately desist, or be ready to face the full weight of the law,” Oligbu stated.