NAFDAC Clamps Down On Illegal Drug, Beverage Factories In South-East

The National Agency for Food, Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has confiscated pharmaceutical products worth millions of Naira in Onitsha, Anambra State.

This is even as the regulatory agency has uncovered illegal factories producing counterfeit alcoholic beverages across Enugu and Imo States.

The clampdown on illegal and counterfeit products underscores the agency’s commitment to combating the distribution and manufacturing of illicit substances in the South-East region.

NAFDAC’s Director for the South-East Zone, Martins Iluyomade, announced the successful raids during a press conference in Awka, Anambra State capital on Wednesday.

Highlighting the Onitsha operation, Iluyomade detailed the seizure of 892 bottles of codeine syrup, alongside significant quantities of Rohypnol and Tramadol, among other controlled substances.

The operation led by Anambra State’s NAFDAC Coordinator, Louis Mmadubuatta, was hailed as a victory for public health and safety.

The confiscated drugs, including notable amounts of Rohypnol, a substance infamously misused by criminals for nefarious activities such as kidnapping and assault, represent a significant public health risk.

“These are controlled drugs which should not be found in an open market or in the hands of individuals,” Iluyomade emphasised, pointing out the grave danger posed by such psychoactive substances to the community.

Further expanding the scope of their operations, NAFDAC operatives made significant discoveries in Enugu and Imo States, where factories engaged in the production of fake alcoholic beverages were dismantled. In Enugu State, a facility operating under the name BEST IJAW in the Igboeze South Local Government Area was found producing unapproved dry gin. The site contained eight PVC containers filled with what is suspected to be ethanol, highlighting the illicit nature of their operations.