The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration Control has promised “hard times” to producers of adulterated beverages following the arrest of one Anthony Chidi inside the Mile 3 Market in the Diobu area of Port Harcourt, the state capital.
The Public Relations Officer, South-South Zone, NAFDAC, Cyril Monye, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday.
Monye said the man aged 52 was caught inside the popular market washing used bottles of various brands of alcoholic beverages.
Speaking earlier, Director, NAFDAC South-South Zone, Chukwuma Oligbu, reiterated the agency’s commitment to clamping down on perpetrators of such illicit acts.
Oligbu said, “Hard hard times await those still involved in the illicit production of NAFDAC regulated products.”
He therefore warned those still involved in adulterating registered products to give up the illegal practice or according to him, “be prepared to go to jail.”
Monye, in the statement, said the man was caught “inside a dirty shop washing used bottles of various beverages he used in producing the unwholesome drinks and sells to unsuspecting members of the public.
“Items found in the shop include dirty empty bottles of different brands of local and foreign alcoholic beverages, gallons/jars of ethanol, washed empty bottles, cocks, packaging materials, various brands of already packaged drinks, funnel fitted with filters etc.”
The agency quoted the suspect as revealing when he started the business saying, “Chidi said he started the illicit business about a year ago, having relocated from Aba in Abia State where he mastered the trade.
“And that he also gets the labels and packaging materials from Aba while he buys the used bottles within Port Harcourt.”
The statement further said the shop was evacuated and everything inside moved to the NAFDAC office while the suspect would be handed over to its Enforcement and Investigation Directorate for further investigation and prosecution.
