The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has uncovered a suspected counterfeit drinks supply depot hidden inside a residential building in Lagos, where more than 100 sacks of empty alcoholic beverage bottles were found.
The discovery was made at 322B Meiran Road, Agbado, Oke Odo, following intelligence reports about suspicious activities in the area.
NAFDAC said the bottles, packed in sacks and covered with tarpaulins, were suspected to be awaiting reuse in the production of counterfeit alcoholic drinks.
In a video posted on the agency’s official X page on Friday, Kunle Ojo, Assistant Director of NAFDAC’s Investigation and Enforcement Directorate, said operatives found bottles of different sizes and brands, including Action Bitters and Hennessy.
He explained that the bottles were allegedly being washed and supplied to suspected counterfeiters for reuse in the production of fake drinks.
According to Ojo, the operation exposed a storage facility operating in a secluded residential neighbourhood.
“We got credible intelligence that in this particular area, a lot of nefarious activities were taking place,” he said, adding that operatives discovered different types of bottles stacked inside the building.
Ojo said the bottles appeared to be prepared for distribution to people involved in suspected counterfeiting activities.
He described the use of a residential building for such operations as unacceptable, stressing that the agency was determined to protect Nigerians from potentially dangerous products.
NAFDAC said more than 100 sacks of empty bottles were destroyed to prevent their possible reuse in the production of counterfeit alcoholic beverages.
The agency urged residents to report suspicious activities in their neighbourhoods to the nearest NAFDAC office, warning that public cooperation was crucial to tackling the circulation of fake drinks.
The latest operation comes amid a series of enforcement actions against suspected counterfeit beverage dealers in Lagos.
On October 13, NAFDAC operatives raided more than 20 makeshift stores at the Lagos International Trade Fair Complex in Ojo, where they seized suspected fake spirits, expired alcoholic drinks and prohibited imported products.
The agency has continued to target illegal storage and distribution networks suspected of supplying counterfeit and unsafe beverages to the market.
