By Izunna Okafor, Awka
The Anambra State Police Command has arrested two suspected producers of adulterated alcoholic beverages and uncovered an illegal factory where counterfeit drinks and hazardous chemicals were allegedly being used to manufacture fake products for unsuspecting consumers.
The Police Public Relations Officer of the Command, SP Tochukwu Ikenga announced this in a statement issued to newsmen on Monday, in which he revealed that the suspects, identified as 42-year-old Ikechukwu Okeke and 38-year-old Okeke Chukwuemeka, were apprehended by operatives of the Command’s Rapid Response Squad and the Anti-Violent Crime Unit (VCRU) during an intelligence-led operation conducted in the early hours of Sunday, June 15, 2026.
The Police Spokesman said the operation followed credible intelligence that exposed the activities of a syndicate allegedly engaged in the production and distribution of fake alcoholic drinks across the state.
According to him, preliminary investigations revealed that the suspects are members of a well-organized network specializing in the adulteration and counterfeiting of different brands of alcoholic beverages, which are subsequently packaged and circulated into the market for public consumption.
He said during interrogation, the suspects reportedly confessed to their involvement in the illicit business and also led the operatives to their clandestine production facility, where a shocking cache of counterfeit products and production materials was discovered.
Items recovered from the illegal factory, according to the police, included suspected adulterated bottles of Seaman’s Schnapps, McDowell’s, Eagle Schnapps, Elliot Hot Drinks and Baileys Fresh Cream, alongside dangerous chemicals allegedly used in the production process.
The Police Spokesman said the operatives also recovered large quantities of empty bottles, counterfeit labels, packaging materials and other production accessories allegedly intended for the continued manufacture and distribution of the fake alcoholic products.
The police noted that the recovered exhibits have been secured for forensic examination and evidential purposes, while the suspects remain in custody pending the conclusion of investigations and possible prosecution.
The incident triggered off a chain of reactions on social media, with netizens pouring out their minds and reawakening their concerns over the increasing activities of counterfeit beverage manufacturers whose products, reports say, pose serious health risks to consumers, including poisoning, organ damage and even death due to the use of unregulated and potentially toxic substances.
Reacting to the successful operation, the Commissioner of Police in Anambra State, CP Ikioye Orutugu, commended the operatives for their professionalism and swift action in dismantling the illegal operation.
He warned individuals and groups involved in the production, adulteration and distribution of counterfeit consumable products to immediately desist from such criminal activities or be prepared to face the full weight of the law.
The Police Commissioner reaffirmed the Command’s commitment to protecting residents from criminal elements whose actions endanger public health and safety, stressing that intelligence-driven policing would continue to be intensified across the state.
He also urged members of the public to remain vigilant and continue providing useful information that would assist security agencies in identifying criminal hideouts and preventing the circulation of fake products capable of causing grave harm to consumers.
The Police further disclosed that investigations are still ongoing to identify and apprehend other members of the syndicate, as well as unravel the full scope of the criminal enterprise and its distribution network within and beyond Anambra State.
