The Zambia Police Service has seized a large quantity of food, cosmetic and sugar products suspected to have been manufactured or repackaged under unhygienic conditions in Lusaka’s Kabanana and Chipata compounds.
Police Public Relations Officer Godfrey Chilabi says the operation was conducted by the Intellectual Property Unit under Lusaka Division following reports of suspected illegal production and repackaging of various consumer products.
Mr Chilabi says police obtained search warrants and conducted searches at two premises in Lusaka on September 8, 2026.
He says in Kabanana Compound, officers seized more than 20,000 bottles of Good Family Hot Chilli Sauce, shampoo, peanut butter, brand stickers, hot-air guns and assorted ingredients believed to have been used in the production process.
Mr Chilabi says preliminary investigations indicate that the products were being manufactured in a backyard under unhygienic conditions, with a 34-year-old man identified as Ogden Malambo linked to the suspected activities.
Meanwhile, in Chipata Compound, police recovered hundreds of bags and cartons of sugar bearing different brands, sealing machines, weighing scales, manufacturing stamps, batch codes and assorted empty branded sugar bags.
He says investigations suggest the sugar was being repackaged at an unmarked premises under unhygienic conditions, with a 25-year-old man identified as Jovan Mugisha connected to the alleged activities.
Mr Chilabi says Mr Mugisha has been charged with offering for sale goods bearing a false trademark or false trade description, selling, packaging or storing foodstuffs under insanitary conditions and operating a factory without a licence.
He says Mr Malambo has also been charged with selling, preparing, packaging or storing foodstuffs under insanitary conditions and operating a factory without a licence.
Mr Chilabi says police will continue working with relevant regulatory authorities to examine the seized products and premises for possible additional offences, adding that investigations remain ongoing.
By Mike Mwendachabe
