The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, has uncovered a counterfeit bottled water syndicate operating in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

The suspects were found utilizing a dilapidated shop disguised as a pool house for their illicit operations.

According to a statement by the Public Relations Officer of NAFDAC, South-South Zone, Cyril Monye, “They pick used Eva plastic bottles which they fill with contaminated water fetched from a paint bucket, while using dirty rubber funnel covered with clothing material as filter.

“The already printed Eva labels were then affixed into the the plastic bottles and corked with already fake fitted Eva cocks.”

A distributor of the adulterated water, Chibunna James, was apprehended while attempting to load the products for sale.

The producer behind the operation remains at large but efforts are underway to apprehend him, according to her NAFDAC spokesman.

The agency urged the public to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activities that could lead to the arrest of individuals engaged in the production and distribution of counterfeit and adulterated products, thereby safeguarding public health.

A total of thirty packs of the fake water were confiscated and transported to the NAFDAC office for further investigation, while the uncapped bottles were emptied and disposed of.