Man Arrested For Manufacturing Fake Whisky
A Harare man has been arrested by CID (Criminal Investigations Department Drugs And Narcotics) in Ardbennie for manufacturing fake whiskey, distilling the alcohol at his home brewery in Ardbennie and repackaging it in the bottles of the original products
The police have made a breakthrough in discovering some of the sources of the illegal whiskeys, gins, vodkas and other spirits which have flooded the country. According to the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP), the fake spirits have two major sources: some are smuggled from Mocambique and Zambia while others are ‘distilled’ locally in backyard breweries and packaged as if they are the real thing.
Speaking to the Daily News, ZRP national spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi confirmed the development. Said Nyathi,
A Harare man was busted by the manufacturing the whiskey and was in posession of drums of fake whiskey. We have noted that it is made from harmful substances such as ethanol.
Nyathi went on to warn imbibers to only purchase alcoholic products from reputable dealers and to not be attracted by the low prices of the fake products.
The fake whiskeys and alcoholic products have been selling at a discount on the informal market and their discounted prices have been attracting merrymakers. The fake products are packed in replica bottles and in some cases, in actual bottles such that it is almost impossible for a layperson to discern between them and the original.
However, some of the imbibers iHarare spoke too, claimed that they always woke up with splitting headaches whenever they consumed the fake products. Experts have also warned that consuming fake alcoholic products can result in infertility and damage to the brain and liver. At least three people have died after they reportedly consumed fake Jameson Whiskey
Some of the brands which have targetted for producing fake spirits include popular brands such as Johnnie Walker’s Red Label, Jameson, Grants, Best, Bols and Two Keys. A bottle of Jameson normally retails for US$30 but suspected bottles of the fake whiskey are going for as little as US$20 on the informal market.
