By Stephanie Birikorang
The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), in collaboration with the Ghana Police Service, arrested six persons during an intelligence-led operation targeting the sale of illicit and unregistered products at three pubs in Accra.
The operation, carried out last Friday, formed part of the authority’s ongoing enforcement exercise to remove unauthorised products from the market and safeguard public health.
Two suspects were arrested at each facility.
The exercise covered Space Station Lounge and Night Club, Italian Boy Lounge and Liquid Zero Pub, all located at Kantamanto in Nungua.
Items retrieved included nitrous oxide, popularly known as laughing gas, unregistered shisha products, Benylin containing codeine, substances suspected to be Indian hemp and bottles of fruit juice believed to be cannabis-infused beverages.
Speaking to journalists after the operation, a member of the FDA’s Tobacco and Tobacco Products Directorate, Nana Kwame Dartey, said the raid followed weeks of intelligence gathering and surveillance which established that the facilities were engaged in the sale of the illicit products.
He noted that the exercise formed part of an ongoing nationwide operation targeting pubs, restaurants and other outlets dealing in illicit and unregistered products.
Mr Dartey also indicated that the seized products posed serious public health risks due to their potential for abuse, particularly nitrous oxide and codeine-based medicines, while the sale of unregistered products contravened the country’s food and drugs laws.
He said the six suspects were in police custody assisting investigations, adding that administrative sanctions, including fines, could be imposed on first-time offenders depending on the nature of the offences, while more serious violations would attract prosecution.
Moreover, Mr Dartey stressed that the exercise was not a one-off operation but part of the FDA’s routine surveillance and enforcement activities. He warned operators dealing in illicit and unregistered products to desist from the practice or face sanctions, and advised the public to refrain from patronising such products because of their harmful effects and high potential for abuse.
Follow our WhatsApp Channel now! https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbAjG7g3gvWajUAEX12Q
