Forgery drug production ring
Thanh Hoa Provincial Police have just dismantled a large-scale ring of fake new drug production and trading, seizing dozens of fake drugs, including new drugs and bone and joint disease medicine.
The police force also seized more than 18,000 boxes, 142kg of capsules, tablets, powder, and many machines and equipment to produce fake drugs. The total weight of drugs and ingredients was up to nearly 10 tons.
According to Thanh Hoa Provincial Police, the ringleader of this ring is Nguyen Tien Dat (born in 1991, residing in hapulico apartment building, Thanh Xuan district, Hanoi). Dat made a pact with the group of Trinh Doan Giao (born in 1985, residing in Binh Tan District, Ho Chi Minh City) - the leader of the counterfeit drug production and trading ring - to invest in the chain, machinery for production and research of components of modern medicine.
After that, the subjects ordered ingredients such as pharmaceuticals, medicinal herbs, and herbs of unknown origin, hired workers to mix, form, use machines to pack bags, squeeze, and package finished products to sell to the market through distribution channels.
Through the struggle, the subjects confessed that from 2021 until their arrest, they had sold a large quantity of counterfeit drugs to the market, with a total estimated transaction amount of nearly 200 billion VND.
Preventing fake drugs
It is known that after Thanh Hoa Provincial Police dismantled the above-mentioned ring of fake new drug production and trading, the authorities promptly stepped in to inspect and review medical examination and treatment facilities.
Mr. Do Thai Hoa, Deputy Director of the Thanh Hoa Provincial Department of Health, said that after learning about the incident, the leaders of the Department of Health directed functional units to conduct inspections and reviews. Up to now, these fake drug products have not been detected in circulation at medical examination and treatment facilities.
According to the Deputy Director of the Department, medicine is a special commodity, directly affecting the health and life of patients, so it needs to be strictly managed. The products forged by the subjects cannot penetrate the public hospital system because there are no legal documents or certificates to participate in the bidding.
These fake products are mainly sold online and through unofficial retail channels.
Of the 21 products seized by the police, there are 4 fake new drugs: Tetracyclin, Clorocid, Pharcoter, Neo-Codion; the remaining 39,323 boxes include 17 fake products suspected to be performance-enhancing drugs, with labels stating their uses as medicine. However, through analysis, initial tests by the Center for Drug Inspection under the Thanh Hoa Provincial Department of Health showed that most fake traditional medicine contain pain reliever ingredients.
After the incident, the Thanh Hoa Provincial Health Department advised people to be alert when buying medicine, should only buy it at reputable establishments licensed to operate; absolutely should not buy floating medicine on social networks. In particular, when buying drugs, people need to proactively look up the origin and source before using them.
When detecting suspicious signs of the production and sale of counterfeit drugs, it is necessary to immediately report to the health agency or the authorities for timely handling.
