SHS graduate arrested for selling fake drugs

A senior High Graduate from Ejisu in the Ashanti Region, has been arrested by the Food Drugs Authority (FDA), for manufacturing fake medicinal products.

The suspect Samuel Owusu, narrated how he manufactures his products including a brand of Mouthwash saying, “I buy the original mouthwash from the Ernest Chemist and buy Hydrogen Peroxide, mix them together, dilute with water and put them in the bottles to sell.”

According to Owusu, who was handcuffed by the FDA and the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service, and revealed that, he had undergone a day’s course on how to manufacture the mouthwash and liquid soap which was all the training he had received to manufacture the product.

He explained further that, he could never produce fake products on the Ghanaian market to harm consumers.

The Head of Herbal Department at the FDA, Emmanuel Yaw Kwarteng, who made the arrest of the suspect, indicated that, the operation against the drug manufacturers was an ongoing process and would be sustained by the FDA and the Police.

He revealed that some unapproved medicines had been seized by the Ashanti Regional FDA Office in Kumasi and investigations are still being conducted while efforts were being made to put the alleged perpetrators before the courts.

“Some of the medicines were concoctions that had no label on them to indicate the kind of ingredients used in manufacturing them and had no warnings detailing the right ways they should be used.”

The Head of Herbal Department of the FDA said many of the medicines were being brought to the country through unapproved routes including footpaths and the FDA has no control over them.

Mr Kwarteng further appealed to the Herbalist Association to help the FDA to flush out the illegal drugs in the society.