The Akwa Ibom State Police Command has recovered 120 bottles of suspected adulterated dry gin and production materials following the arrest of a 40-year-old man in Ikot Ekpene.
The suspect, identified as Ubong Ntiense, was arrested on September 26 during a stop-and-search operation along Aba Road while allegedly transporting the products to Essien Udim Local Government Area.
Police said five cartons of the suspected adulterated drink, bearing the fake label “Pointers Special Dry Gin”, were recovered from the suspect. Each carton contained 24 bottles.
The suspect and the recovered products were taken to the police station for preliminary investigation, after which police said he allegedly confessed to involvement in the production of the drinks.
Following information obtained during the investigation, operatives secured a search warrant and searched the suspect’s residence and premises, where substances and other materials allegedly used to produce the drinks were recovered.
The Commissioner of Police, Baba Azare, directed that the investigation be conducted thoroughly to identify other persons allegedly connected to the production and distribution of the counterfeit products.
The command said it would continue intelligence-led operations and surveillance to disrupt the manufacture, transportation and sale of adulterated alcoholic beverages in the state.
It also urged members of the public to exercise caution when purchasing alcoholic drinks and report suspected production or distribution activities to the police or relevant regulatory agencies.
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