The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has uncovered counterfeit packaging materials worth more than ₦200 million in five shops at Old Court Road Market, Aba, Abia State, following an enforcement raid.
The materials, bearing the identities of popular wine, spirit and other regulated product brands, were allegedly intended to make counterfeit products appear genuine.
NAFDAC’s Investigation and Enforcement team carried out the operation following what the agency described as credible intelligence on suspected counterfeiting activities in the market.
Items recovered included labels, corks, packs and cartons bearing the names of Jameson, Glenfiddich, Four Cousins, Lord’s Dry Gin, Imperial Blue and Goya oil.
The team also found packaging materials bearing the names of Chelsea, Squadron and Seaman’s Aromatic Schnapps, among others.
The agency said the materials could be used to package fake or substandard products in ways that would make them difficult for unsuspecting consumers to distinguish from genuine goods.
The operation reportedly became tense when some traders resisted the enforcement team and attempted to prevent the removal of the seized materials.
According to NAFDAC’s enforcement report, some traders allegedly threatened and confronted the operatives, while loaders initially engaged to evacuate the materials were forced to withdraw after being threatened by members of the crowd.
The situation escalated when traders reportedly pursued a chartered vehicle being used to transport the recovered items from the market.
Despite the resistance, the agency said its operatives evacuated a substantial quantity of the materials, estimated to be worth more than ₦200 million.
The owners of the five affected shops reportedly disappeared during the operation.
NAFDAC said it placed the shops on hold, restricting access pending further investigation, and issued invitation letters to the owners through the market union chairman.
The market chairman reportedly pledged to ensure that the affected shops were not tampered with and to assist the agency in presenting the owners for investigation.
The investigation is expected to establish the ownership of the recovered materials, their intended use and possible links to wider counterfeit production and distribution networks.
The discovery highlights concerns about the role of counterfeit packaging in the distribution of fake products. Counterfeiters can use branded labels, corks and cartons to disguise the contents of products and pass them off as established brands.
Consumers who unknowingly purchase such products may be exposed to substances whose composition, quality and safety have not been verified.
NAFDAC has continued to target suspected production centres, warehouses, distribution networks and markets linked to counterfeit and falsified regulated products.
The agency urged market associations, traders and members of the public to report suspected counterfeiting activities to help prevent unsafe products from reaching consumers.