The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) announced the dismantling of a counterfeit bottled water operation located at the Pipeline Road area of Eneka in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State.
The agency made this revelation on Friday morning, acting swiftly upon receiving a tip-off from vigilant members of the public.
According to Mr. Cyril Monye, the NAFDAC Public Relations Officer for the South-South Zone, the perpetrators had set up their illicit production facility within a dilapidated shop, disguising it as a pool house.
During the operation, one of the distributors was apprehended while in the process of packaging and loading the fake bottled water for distribution to unsuspecting consumers.
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Monye revealed that the counterfeiters utilized used Eva plastic bottles, filling them with contaminated water drawn from a paint bucket.
They employed a makeshift filter consisting of a dirty rubber funnel covered with cloth material. The bottles were then sealed with counterfeit Eva labels and caps.
SavingPointMedia gathered that the arrested distributor identified as Chibunna James was caught in the act of preparing the adulterated water for sale, while the main perpetrator, the producer, remains at large, with efforts underway to apprehend him.
Emmanuel Onogwu, the NAFDAC Coordinator in Rivers State, urged the public to continue providing valuable information to aid in the apprehension of criminals involved in the adulteration and counterfeiting of regulated products.
Following the operation, thirty packs of the counterfeit product were confiscated and transported to the NAFDAC office in Port Harcourt.
The bottles were emptied of their contents as part of the investigation.
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