A targeted enforcement operation by the Ghana Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has led to the seizure of some illicit tobacco products from four facilities in Accra.
The confiscated items included 15 brands of illegal shisha (waterpipe) flavours, three brands of illicit cigarettes, seven brands of nitrous oxide canisters, 21 brands of unregistered vapes, 10 brands of illegal cigars, and four brands of unauthorised tobacco wraps.
The Authority conducted the operation with two police officers as part of activities marking this year’s ‘World No Tobacco Day’ scheduled for May 31.
Six facilities located at Achimota, Abeka, East Legon, Kwabenya, Fadama, and Tabora were targeted for the operation. However, two of them were closed at the time of the inspection.
Head of the Tobacco Products Department at the FDA, Jemima Odonkor, tells the media that the operation signifies the FDA’s efforts to get harmful and unapproved products off Ghana’s market. She assured that the distributors and sellers will both be punished for getting such products through unapproved routes into the country.
“The seized items entered the country through unapproved routes. The Authority will apply the necessary legal and regulatory sanctions to the distributors and sellers,” she stated.
She underscored the Authority’s commitment to ensuring that the Ghanaian market is rid of such harmful products to protect public health, adding that the FDA will intensify public education campaigns by targeting schools.
“We will be visiting schools to educate our students on the harmful effects of tobacco products to safeguard them from illicit drugs,” she averred.
The Authority has urged the public to report to its offices, any suspicious products or activities related to tobacco sales.
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