Akwa Ibom police arrest man with 120 bottles of suspected adulterated gin
Police in Akwa Ibom State have arrested a 40-year-old man after allegedly recovering 120 bottles of suspected adulterated dry gin during a stop-and-search operation on Aba Road in Ikot Ekpene.
The bottles were packed in five cartons and were allegedly being transported towards Essien Udim Local Government Area when officers intercepted the suspect on September 26.
Police described the recovered products as suspected adulterated dry gin.
IDNN has not seen any laboratory or regulatory result confirming that the products were counterfeit, adulterated or unsafe.
Police say more materials were recovered
Police said officers later searched premises linked to the suspect and recovered substances and other materials allegedly used in producing the drinks.
Those items and their alleged purpose remain part of the investigation and have not been independently authenticated by IDNN.
Police also said the suspect allegedly made admissions during preliminary investigation.
Any such statement remains an allegation and does not establish guilt.
Testing is the key next step
The central evidential question is whether the seized drinks and recovered materials will be examined by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control or another competent laboratory.
Testing would establish what the products contain, whether their packaging or labelling is counterfeit and whether they pose a consumer-safety risk.
No laboratory result or NAFDAC determination was identified in the material reviewed by IDNN.
Wider investigation not yet established
The Akwa Ibom Commissioner of Police reportedly ordered further investigation to determine whether other people were involved.
That does not establish that a wider production or distribution network exists.
The available evidence also does not show how long the alleged operation had been running, where the products originated or whether any had already reached consumers.
No illness, poisoning or injury linked to the seized bottles has been established.
The suspect remains under investigation. The sources reviewed by IDNN do not establish that he has been formally charged, arraigned or convicted.
IDNN will continue to track product-testing results, the suspect’s legal status and any further police, regulatory or court developments.