The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has announced the busting of a fake bottled water syndicate operating in the Pipeline Road area of Eneka, Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State. The discovery, made on Friday morning, followed a tip-off from vigilant members of the public, prompting swift action by NAFDAC officials.
According to Mr. Cyril Monye, the NAFDAC Public Relations Officer for the South-South Zone, the syndicate operated from a dilapidated shop, posing as a pool house for production. The statement revealed that the suspects filled used Eva plastic bottles with contaminated water obtained from a paint bucket, using dirty rubber funnels covered with cloth material as filters. Subsequently, fake Eva labels were affixed to the bottles, and fake Eva caps were applied.
The agency arrested one of the distributors, identified as Chibunna James, who was caught loading the adulterated water for sale to unsuspecting consumers. However, the main producer remains at large, and efforts are underway to apprehend him.
Emmanuel Onogwu, the NAFDAC Coordinator in Rivers State, urged the public to continue providing useful information to assist in apprehending criminals involved in the adulteration and counterfeiting of regulated products.