A Rwanda National Police (RNP) Interpol-backed operation – Fagia OPSON I – has seized counterfeit and illicit goods including pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and alcoholic drinks valued at over Rwf14.9 million in Kigali.

Other counterfeit and illicit products seized in a three-day operation include foods and beverages, agro-chemicals, powdered milk (Nido), insecticide, and liquors including Red, Gold and Blue labels, among others.

The operation comes as an implementation of the recommendation made by the 17th General Assembly of the Eastern Africa Police Chiefs’ Corporation Organization (EAPCCO) that recognized the need to sustain the tempo in the fight against transnational crimes that affect the people’s lives and weaken economies.

"The Ministry of Health recently released a list of 1342 illegal ingredients used in cosmetics, among those include excess hydroquinone. Among the products that were seized include some body lotions and bathing soaps that has 2% of hydroquinone yet the standard one is 0.003 percent” Edmond Semana, an official from the Ministry of Health, said during the presentation of seized products at the RNP headquarters in Kacyiru, yesterday.

"Such substances can be very dangerous to an extent of causing cancer; as the ministry of health charged with ensuring public health, in partnership with Rwanda National Police and other institutions, we will stop at nothing to ensure we stop sell and use of these products,” he added.

The Operation came at a time when Interpol is organizing a global operation codenamed OPSON V targeting counterfeit, substandard food and beverages also in this month.

Part of the seized products in "Fagia-OPSON I” operations included agricultural products like fertilizer and according to Beatrice Uwumukiza, the head of the Rwanda Agriculture and Livestock Inspection and Certification Services, fake products can have enormous dangers not only to people.

"Such products can be dangerous to land, the atmosphere and water bodies; we are embarking on sensitizing the public to be wary of such product. People should also check the expiration dates since some of the products that were seized had already expired,” Uwumukiza said.

The operation that was spearheaded by Rwanda National Police also brought on board other stakeholders like the Ministries of Trade and Industry, Agriculture and Health, Private Sector Federation (PSF), Rwanda Revenue Authority (RRA), Rwanda Standards Board (RSB) and representatives of brand owners.

Olivier Rukundo, the head of the import inspection section at RSB, said, "To identify some of the products we seized, we had to work with brand owners. We also realized that traders dealing in these products don’t have clear paperwork.”

The RNP spokesperson, ACP Celestin Twahirwa said that this is the third operation of the kind to be conducted in partnership with other stakeholders, under the auspice of Interpol.

"We conduct these operations as part of ensuring public safety; security starts with individual’s welfare and health… we are currently sensitizing the public and traders against such products but in future we will impose serious punitive measures against anyone dealing in such substances,” he said.

"Jointly with all stakeholders we are going to enhance detective mechanisms and conduct more operations to curtail sell and use of such dangerous products.In the same spirit we will propose tougher punitive measures to save our innocent communities who consume them unknowingly" ACP Twahirwa said.

ACP Twahirwa also pointed out that substandard goods and counterfeit goods affect fair business competition since traders with fake goods sell them cheaply.