TFDA director general Hiiti Sillo
The Tanzania Food and Drugs Authority (TFDA) has impounded an assortment of 5,350 fake perfumes worth 107m/- during its ongoing operation in Dar es Salaam.
Speaking to journalists yesterday, TFDA director general Hiiti
Sillo said they also arrested the manufacturer who illegally produced
the products. He said the manufacturer was producing the perfumes at his
residence in Tuangoma, Goroka Street in Temeke District.
He said during the operation, which is being conducted in
collaboration with the police, they managed to arrest a woman who was
identified only as Mwanaidi. Sillo said the police were tipped by good
Samaritans on the presence of a factory that produces perfumes under the
brand name of SAME.
Sillo said they also nabbed various equipment, chemicals and
alcohol, naming them as laboratory tools such as funnels, measuring
cylinders, syringes and bikers which were used during production.
According to Sillo, the seized perfumes were sold at a cosmetic
shop, also not registered by the authority, located at Sinza Kwa Remmy
owned by Dr Mohammed Gwao.
“We interviewed the shop owner who claimed to have imported the
perfumes from Turkey via Julius Nyerere International Airport (JNIA) on
December 27, last year,” he said.
He said the fake perfumes were labelled as Turkey-made products and
were being sold at 20,000/- each. Sillo added that the products were
not approved by any of the quality and standards assurance bodies,
including TFDA.
Sillo said the accused would be taken to court as soon as investigations were completed.
SOURCE:
THE GUARDIAN
