The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has arrested a man, Anthony Chidi, at Mile 3 Market in Diobu, Port Harcourt, for producing counterfeit alcoholic beverages in unsanitary conditions.
The agency announced the arrest in a statement posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday.
According to NAFDAC, Chidi was caught in a dirty shop where he was cleaning used bottles of popular alcoholic brands and refilling them with substandard beverages for resale.
During the raid, officials found contaminated empty bottles, ethanol, bottle caps, and packaging materials, all used in the illegal production process.
When questioned, Chidi admitted to operating the illegal business for nearly a year.
The statement further revealed, “NAFDAC officials arrested Anthony Chidi at Mile 3 Market, Diobu, Port Harcourt, for producing counterfeit alcoholic beverages in highly unsanitary conditions.
“He was discovered inside a filthy shop, washing and reusing bottles from various alcoholic brands before refilling them with unsafe drinks for sale.
“During the operation, officials recovered dirty empty bottles, ethanol, bottle caps, and packaging materials used in the production.
“Chidi confessed to running the illegal trade for almost a year, obtaining labels from Aba and purchasing used bottles.
“As part of the investigation, NAFDAC has sealed off the shop and seized all materials found at the scene.”
