The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, has arrested a 52-year-old man, Anthony Chidi, for allegedly producing counterfeit alcoholic beverages at Mile 3 Market in Diobu, Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
According to a statement issued on Wednesday by Cyril Monye, the Public Relations Officer of NAFDAC’s South-South Zone, Chidi was caught in an unhygienic shop washing used bottles of various alcoholic beverage brands, which he refilled with substandard drinks and sold to unsuspecting consumers.
Items recovered from the shop included dirty, empty bottles of different local and foreign alcoholic beverage brands, gallons and jars of ethanol, washed empty bottles, corks, packaging materials, various brands of already packaged drinks, and a funnel fitted with a filter.
The statement revealed that Chidi admitted to starting the illegal business about a year ago after relocating from Aba, where he learned the trade.
It added that “he also gets the labels and packaging materials from Aba while he buys the used bottles within Port Harcourt.”
The agency stated that “the shop was eventually evacuated, and everything inside was moved to NAFDAC’s office, while the suspect will be handed over to NAFDAC’s Enforcement and Investigation Directorate for further investigation and prosecution.”
The statement also quoted the NAFDAC Director for the South-South Zone, Pharm. Chukwuma Oligbu, as saying, “hard times await those still involved in the illicit production of NAFDAC-regulated products.”
Oligbu further warned that “those still involved in adulterating registered products should give up the illegal practice or be prepared to go to jail.”
