By Chioma Obinna

A syndicate which specialised  in cloning  fast moving drugs, among which are locally manufactured anti malaria and pain relief  drugs, has been smashed by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration, NAFDAC, in Lagos, following the arrest of one of its  suspected members.

The syndicate, according to NAFDAC,  perfected its cloning act in China, from where it  imported the cloned drugs into Nigeria.

The arrested  suspect   identified as  Maduabuachi Abuzu, reportedly  owns a shop at  21 Ashogbon Street,Idumota market,where he allegedly used as warehouse for the imported fake drugs.

Maduabuchi Abuzu, 2nd left and other suspects paraded by NAFDAC last week.

Maduabuchi, according to the Agency’s   Director of   Enforcement, Mr Garba Macdonald, had been under the Agency’s watch list for two years, informing that  investigation had begun to  identify his China- based partners.

To this end, Crime Guard gathered that  NAFDAC had contacted its  Chinese counterpart , to ensure that when it  concludes its investigation  here, the alleged Chinese partners involved, would be punished according to  China’s counterfeiting drug  laws, which include  life imprisonment.

Maduabuchi,  according to  Garba, was arrested  in his apartment located  on 9 Alhaja Hassana Street, Orile Iganmu with various fake products worth over N20 million.

“The arrest of  Maduabuchi Abuzu is  a major breakthrough in the fight to stem  activities of the syndicate who had in the last two years brought into the country fake drugs with its partners in China”.

He informed Crime Guard  that the suspect  confessed to have imported the drugs from China through his contacts there, adding that through intelligence gathering, “ it was established that the suspect used his house as a warehouse where the alleged cloned drugs are stored”.

Some of the drugs discovered in his possession at  the time  of arrest included; coartem  tablets,  packaging materials  and labels  , amalar, unlabeled  tablets,  maloxine tablets,  packaging  materials and leaflets,    sealing hand machines,   Ibupkris, Richy Gold Int’l   Ibuprofen amongst others.

Madu abuachi   according to Garba, was   currently assisting the  A gency in its investigation   to get to the root of the matter.  Reiterating the agency’s  determination to rid the country  of fake and unwholesome   drugs, he therefore, called  on Nigerians to report any  suspicious activity relating  to NAFDAC regulated products  around their  community for immediate action.

An  official  of one of the companies   whose products were   faked, spoke on condition   of anonymity, decrying  the challenges genuine  companies were faced with  following cases of fake drugs.  He said: “ Activities  of fake drug merchant  will put government’s  policy of encouraging local  production of essentials  drugs into jeopardy”.