Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) has redouble its efforts in sensitizing the public so that they can detect counterfeit products that have flooded the Zambian market.
DEC Acting Commissioner Solomon Jere disclosed that over K50 million worth of counterfeit drinks is estimated to be produced and offloaded on the market every week.
He made remarks when he lead journalists to factories where counterfeit drinks were been manufactured, in Lusaka’s Zingulume compound today .
A combined team of DEC and police officers on Sunday night pounced on a truck loaded with counterfeit drinks that was destined for Southern Province..
At the factory, journalists found an assortment of food drinks, unidentified chemicals that were used in the manufacture of the drinks, thousands of empty dirty containers that are recycled and used for filling in the drink and various labels to be stuck on the fake products.
Dr Jere said the culprits in the vice will be slapped with offences dealing in counterfeit products as well as tax evasion.
Dr Jere however observed that all regulatory departments of Government should endeavor to be operational oriented if consumers are to be protected from the danger of consuming fake products.
Dr Jere said many deaths that are recorded in Zambia can be prevented if all regulatory departments in the country work together.
The DEC Commissioner said his organization and the Zambia Police Service will redouble their efforts to strengthen laboratory strategies that will enhance the tasting of foods so that fake foods are dictated and culprits are brought to book.
He warned perpetrators of the vice to beware as DEC is not sitting idle and will soon bring all those involved in this practice that the long arm of the law shall soon visit them.
Dr Jere has since called on the municipal councils, the Zambia Bureau of Standards, Ministry of Commerce and other cooperating partners to redouble their efforts to ensure that safe mechanism are put in place to protect consumers from consuming fake products.
Dr Jere also urged the public to offer their assistance and cooperation to the regulatory wings of Government in order to identify genuine product from fake products.
And speaking earlier, Intellectual Property Specialist Kingsley Nkonde said the situation on the ground is alarming and needs urgent attention.
Mr Nkonde revealed that one truck carrying a truckload of counterfeit drinks worthy about K17million was intercepted by police on its way to the Copperbelt.
He said it is believed that the operation started in 2000 but that the perpetuators of the vice had kept a low profile until recently when the police were tipped on what was going on.
Mr. Nkonde said the trend impacts negatively on the nation’s economy as they invade paying tax to the Government.
He called on the council to take an active role in endeavoring to curb the vice, saying there is a lot that need to be done in order to control the situation.
Meanwhile, the Zambia consumers Association (ZACA) has commended the Zambia police service intellectual property (IP) unit for unearthing a scam of counterfeit drinks manufactured in Lusaka’s Zingalume area.
ZACA Executive Secretary Muyunda Ililonga said the work done by the Zambia Police should be commended because it has a positive impact on the development of the country.
Mr.Illilonga said in interview with ZANIS that the counterfeit products are a danger to the health of Zambians.
He said the products are manufactured with dangerous chemicals and in unclean place hence creating a health hazard to the consumers.
Mr.Illilonga called on the Local Authority and the Zambia Bureau of standards to help curb this devise.
He said the Zambian government must not only concentrate on counterfeit products that are locally manufactured but those that come in from other countries as finished products.
Mr.Illilonga further urged members of the public to work hand in hand with the Zambia police by reporting any suspecting plants in their communities.
ZANIS/PM/PC/MKM/ENDS
that’s industrious, only if you can channel your ingenuity towards your own brands of products!
Awe naiwe, let people make and drink their own Mazoe!!
Its a good move
Ok a lot of people wont like what am about to say and am about to light a flame war here. Looking at the pictures, am actually proud of what these Zambians have done.. probably with poor resources. This is the talent our people have. Why not just help these people brand their products and even legalise their system instead of coming down on them heavy handed. This is talent screaming to be tapped into , entrepreneurs yearning to make a living. This is where CEEC money should be going. help reorganise this industry. Please don’t flame with arguments of supporting piracy. Please see beyond the obvious. Our people have talent, we need to tap and organise this somehow
My friend counterfeit products are dangerous. They can cause death because the manufactures do not care about standards – they just want to make money. In China and Nigeria babies have died from fake milk products. Let the culprits of fake products ,in Zambia, face the law. There is no substitute for quality
AND THEIR FACTORIES ARE HAVE NO PROPER EQUIPMENT AND DEFINATELY DONT MEET HEALTH STANDARDS. THE PRODUCTS COMING THROUGH NAKONDE SHOULD BE INSPECTED WELL TOO AS ALOT OF COUNTERFEIT PRODUCTS CAME FROM THERE BEFORE THE LOCALS BEGUN TO MAKE…ESPECIALLY THE DRUG STORES SALE IN MARKETS NEED TO BE WATCHED.
Supergirl, kwaamba!!! Truck loaded with counterfeits????? They should close all the shops that sale counterfeits..
The unknown chemicals used can be carcinogenic ( cancer causing ) for all we know. Why not deal and follow standard procedures when making such goods.
NO NO NO NO NO NO TO COUNTERFEIT PRODUCTS IN ZAMBIA
Chinondo, I agree with you totally. That’s why you are a chinondo. You are smart.
I do agree with you Chinondo, actually when i was reading through the story i had the same idea. Why not help these people start their own brands and that way we will reduce the cost of products in zambian by not importing everything. These people, given a little help can even create jobs for the poor people of Zingalume. Let them be charged for the crimes committed ofcourse, later on let the governement work with them and help them start businesses that will employ zambians. Even the products we import, do we surely know under what conditions they were manufuctured or we just trust them “pantu fya kuba sungu”? Something bad has happened but we can create something good of out it.
Chinondo u have urine for your brain..Need i say more?
Prof Chinondo you are correct out of what pipo perceive to be abad thing you have seen a good out of bad this is want we need to be we shud it just rush to condemn lets test the drinks if they are not harmful for health then we help them and legalise it these guys hv provided employment to some youth who are helping at their factory and selling and distribution which is diversification leave them provided the drinks are ok
Come to think of your strange idea and I will go by your reasoning , let us send the drinks to parliament motel and sun hotels , intercontinental hotel for sample testing . Medics on sight .
Even in America, the market is flooded with counterfeit products, from china and or locally manufactured!
you stay there in america with your fake goods… thats not our portion here in zambia. just b’coz it goes on there don’t mean its ok for such life threatening stuff should go on in zambia
Only a person who thinks with something else other than the brain can defend counterfeit products. Like 3.1 has already outlined, such products are not only a hazard to health but also undermine the genuine brands by compromising on quality. The manufacturers are criminal minds and they need to be prosecuted.
Iwe Chinondo are you okay? How do you support people who are manufacturing counterfelt products? This is a seriousy case, today there are people with fake certificates and diplomas because of such characters.Ati talent,is this what you call talent?
Ba Chewe, a counterfeit is a product that is similar/identical and uses a brand name of another manufacturer. If I make a drink and call it fanta or coca cola, then I am making a counterfeit product. When I make a product similar to or identical with fanta/coca cola, and I call ie Ziee or some other name, it is not a counterfeit. Like I said in the previous posting on this issue, there is nothing counterfeit in this story. The only legitimate concern is the issue of the safety of the drink and the conditions under which the drinke are made. All I see here are attempts to protect Zambian Breweries – a foreign company. Why not help this Zingalume Coy to do better? Remember how we lost TipTop?
Yangu , Your line of reasoning is some what relatively correct ,however the gist of the matter and I beg let us not divert, borders on the hazardous environment under which the product is product..
Iwe ka Chinondo uli kwisa fuma? Teti ulande ati talent.
Chewe am not supporting fake products..you missed my point. Am saying harness this poor of talent in Zambia and put them on the correct path. Teach them to produce better standards goods and help them with the necessary funding. All the so called great products that are real you talk about started from somewhere and standards are put in place after people realise what can go wrong. Lets do it for our people. As I said earlier, look beyond the story. It is simplistic to just look at the title and criticise. We need to build our country and that is the hard. A lot of people have this simplistic and imperialistic view. All great industries started with problems and got better.
Even Maestro is a counterfeit product.
Awe ba Chewe there is no drink in Zambia that goes by the name of Maestro. Maybe you can obtain a patent on this drink name and market it worldwide. Just be careful with the ingredients LOL
On a serious note ! Counterfeit products cause more harm to human beings than to the fiscus.
Look at how many babies passed away in China and some other countries (e.g. Nigeria) after the babies were fed on counterfeit baby milk. Terrible harm can be done and by the time it is discovered a lot of people would have perished. Let us not underestimate the serious harm that this can cause.
Awee Ba Chewe musiyeni Maestro. He has come back a cool and collected man this time around after L.T. disciplinarian action. Please appreciate when waters are cool.
Give praise where its due…
Please stay cool and Gday to you.
Ba Cutey, I like your pride as a wife….keep it up. Did you say Maestro was disciplined by LT????
Bo Thenjiwe Stevens( Mrs) ,Variation is the greatest variety show of creation. I welcome your change of name ,as it shows that indeed variety is the spice of life . Thanks for spicing LT. Good sentiments you have posted hope Chewe the virgin will take leaf.
iwe Chewe! aaaaah I like your humour on this one! I hope Maestro will take it for what it is….a joke!
The culprits should be punished severely to deter would be offenders. Such offences are equal to murder because the chemicals they use tend to kill the unsuspecting members of the public softly.
Is that Peter Machungwa in the picture?????
It’s Dr. Solomon Jere the gospel singer in the Polic Choir.
The now acting DEC Commissioner
Good observation when one critically scrutinizes the photo. Took it causally for DR Solomon Jere…
i smell a ching chong in all this… where did they get the chemicals to make these products…? in fact, it must be a mwenye at hand…thats where most chemicals pa zed come from…and you wonder why cancer cases are on the increase?… these culprits deserve life sentences…. oh yes!
Jazzie Jazzie ……..
where are u at? can we meet for glass of wine and bemba/nyanja lingua.. get me. [email protected]…….
no counterfiet drinks plz..!!
ba moderator just accept my comment chaba shani.!!
Jazzie Jazzie ……..
where are u at? can we meet for glass of wine and bemba/nyanja lingua.. get me. on..maybin10’at’yahoo.co.uk…….
no counterfiet drinks plz..!!
its so interesting to read and see these people trying to show that they are doing something. The job of protecting the people is in the hands of public health and DEC. The innovation of the people is encouraging but we should not compromise health just because we want to create work for some people . This is a move in the right direction and I hope that we can have good coordination between public health and DEC.At the same time lets take this has an opportunity for people trying to do something help them so that they produce these products safely
Bad move ba RB. Our govt is so hopeless that they go after locals but go and import all the bad stuff from china. The chemicals and unsanitary conditions that are found in the Chinese products are way below human consumption levels. In some foods they use coolants, animal feed to boost production, mercury, lead and other cancer causing additives. Please Zambian govt, when are you going to wake up? Our people are dying like locusts but you are going after small chaps whose products are not as terrible as those being dumped on our markets. Remember they killed animals all over the world with their foods? PLEASE GOVT, watch what is coming into the country.
This is dangerous for our country and the lives of people its true those people have a talent and are behaving like chineese. The best thing those people could have done was from the money they were making could have come up with a proper factory, with a nice clean enviroment and make products of the own brand. And making sure they employ people who know the right chemicals to use and the right propotion. As of now the law should vist them then afterward the government can help them put up a proper factory if they saw wish.
I thought Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) was created to curtail drug trafficking, Hey!! these dudes seem to be masters of all jacks. MMMMMmmmm!!!!! isn’t this job for some standard bureau or something. maybe they should change the name to association against counterfeit products or something.
That is a prayer as well for FTJ and company remember?
And to think that some bloggers support counterfeit products! What a joke!
What beats me is were they get the chemicals. Some of these chaps were once employees of these same companies but lost their jobs either through dismissal or pruning. What needs to be investigated is the source of their chemicals. I will not be surprised to hear these people are conniving with those that work in these companies that manufacture the products
These are the pipo who must be sent to prison, not the poor man who borrowed 2 goats.
Please jail these law breakers and make sure they take their fake drinks with them to jail.
GRZ should fund these type of people and the formula so that we have our own Zed soft drinks so that they can as well use proper equipment and packaging.
The softies look well appetizing and from a distance you cant tell the imitation or real one.Other wise this is are intelligent physicians that have been working on the fake products, well done boys and girls in Zagulume compound [-x
police always pick up the people involved in counterfeit products, after that no news is heard about these who are announced on TV or radio to be involved where do they go afterwards. please police dont do things to be seen or pretend to be doing something when you are not arrest and let them face the law.