Task Force Raids Fake Wine Factory Arrests 7

A joint operation by the Presidential Task Force Against Economic Sabotage and Oil Vandalism and the Operation Clean and Healthy Anambra Brigade has shut down an illicit wine production facility in Onitsha, Anambra State.

During the raid on Friday, officers seized over 2,000 cartons of fake wines and alcoholic beverages, including counterfeit versions of popular brands like Classic Heaven, Baron Devanis, and Hennessy.

Seven suspects were arrested at the factory, located on Onowu Street, off Enugu-Onitsha Expressway.

According to Celestine Anere, Managing Director of OCHA Brigade, “Several packing stores and rooms in the facility were found to be used for producing various alcoholic beverages and wines.”

Anere further stated, “The task force officers discovered that multiple packing stores and warehouses in the area had been converted into makeshift factories where different brands of alcoholic drinks and wines were being produced, packaged, and distributed in the open market.

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“During the raid, over 2,000 cartons of wines and already packaged drinks were seized, along with unhealthy equipment such as mixing tanks, improvised filters, various packaging materials and bags of empty bottles.”

Anere warned consumers to be vigilant when purchasing alcoholic beverages and wines, urging them to report suspicious activities to the task force.

“We urged consumers to be vigilant, especially when purchasing alcoholic beverages and wines.”

The state Coordinator of the Presidential Task Force, Collins Enebeli, reaffirmed the commitment to ending economic sabotage in Nigeria, citing Anambra State as a leading producer of fake products.

Some of the suspects, when interrogated, claimed they were merely workers in the factory, trying to make ends meet without any knowledge of the factory’s certification.

They pleaded for mercy from the government, pointing out that their boss, one Ikechukwu, supplies over 1,000 cartons of wine every day.