The hygiene service brigade of Saint-Louis put an end, this Wednesday December 3, 2025, to a vast clandestine network specializing in the fraudulent manufacture and repackaging of Touba coffee, chili pepper and peanut paste.

This operation followed a tip-off from Richard Toll, which led agents to an illegal factory in Ndiébène Gandiole. There, the teams discovered significant quantities of products unfit for consumption, estimated at over two million CFA francs.

“After receiving the information, we went to the factory located in the village of Ndiébène. We found deplorable production conditions there, with no hygiene or sanitation standards,” said Warrant Officer Ngouda Diagne, head of the departmental sub-brigade of the hygiene service.

According to him, the seized products were well past their expiration date. The counterfeiters then fraudulently repackaged them to put them back on the market. "They didn't change the packaging. They simply replaced the expiration dates by sticking new labels over the old ones. The product was supposed to expire in November 2025, but they extended the date until November 2026," explained Warrant Officer Diagne.

In total, the officers seized 480 cartons of Touba coffee, 30 cartons of chili peppers and 10 bags of peanut paste, for a total estimated value of 2,640,000 CFA francs.

Adjutant Diagne reiterated the hygiene department's commitment to combating any activity that endangers public health. He also urged the public and local authorities to increase their vigilance to help eradicate these fraudulent practices.