Three-day crackdown on ‘Viroba’ impounds 10bn/- consignment
About 100,000 cartons of sachet-packed liquor were impounded in Dar es Salaam in a three-day crackdown on the outlawed products.
The government further vowed yesterday that it will file cases against business people from whom the about 11bn/- consignment was confiscated, accusing them of defying the ban on the plastic sachet-packed alcohol.
Minister of State in the Vice-President’s Office for Union Affairs and Environment January Makamba, told reporters in Dar es Salaam yesterday that the 99,171 cartons were seized from 16 industries, 18 wholesale outlets, four warehouses and three bars.
Mr Makamba was giving report on the anti-'viroba' campaign that started on March 1, a day after the February 28 government deadline on the consumption of the liquor in the country.
The ban came after the government considered environmental and health effects of the plastic sachet-packed alcohol. “The seized consignments will remain under watch in the stores where they were found so that they are not distributed or consumed, until further notice,” he said.
During the crackdown, the task force also discovered several illegal practices by producers and suppliers of the sachet-packed alcohol. Some of them were found with the substandard and unregistered brands of spirit like Red Wine, Banjuka, Officer’s Cane Spirit, and Flash Ginna Dragon.
All companies arrested did not have Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), certificate from the Tanzania Food and Drugs Authority and Tanzania Bureau of Standards (TBS), with others found to have evaded tax payment.
Other sachets lacked stickers of the Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) while others had doubtful stickers, necessitating further investigations.
The National Environment Management Council (NEMC) has been directed to closely follow up on the industries that were found operating without EIA and take legal measures against them.
Likewise, TRA was also told to deal with companies and warehouses found in pos session of products with allegedly fake stickers.
“We are going to drag them to court for violating the laws during production or distribution of spirit products,” said Mr Makamba, charging that another round of countrywide crackdown on viroba will start after assessing the weaknesses of the just ended operation.