Operatives of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration Control (NAFDAC) uncovered a counterfeit bottled water syndicate operating in Pipe Line Road, Eneka, Port Harcourt, Rivers State. The syndicate specialized in producing fake Eva water.
Cyril Monye, the Public Relations Officer for NAFDAC’s south-south zone, confirmed that the illicit activities of the group were exposed thanks to a tipoff. The suspects were found using a dilapidated shop disguised as a pool house for their production operations.
Monye explained, “They would collect used Eva plastic bottles, fill them with contaminated water from a paint bucket, and use a dirty rubber funnel covered with cloth as a filter. Then, they would affix pre-printed Eva labels onto the bottles and seal them with counterfeit Eva caps.”
During the operation, one of the distributors named Chibunna James, was apprehended while in the process of loading the adulterated water for sale. However, the mastermind behind the operation remains at large, though efforts are underway to locate and apprehend them.
The NAFDAC Coordinator for Rivers State urged the public to continue providing valuable information that could lead to the arrest of individuals involved in such criminal activities, emphasising the dangers posed by the adulteration and counterfeiting of regulated products.
Authorities confiscated 30 packs of the fake products, which were transported to the NAFDAC office for further investigation. Additionally, the uncorked bottles were emptied, and all remaining counterfeit products were removed from circulation.
