Fake weight-loss pills made from flour and green tea

Phan Trong Hieu's group bought fake functional foods made from flour and green tea, repackaged them, and sold them through 20 storefronts on Shopee.

On 18/8, Hieu, from Tan Dong commune, was sentenced to 16 years in prison by the Tay Ninh Provincial People's Court for selling counterfeit food products. For the same crime, Hieu's wife, Nguyen Thi Hao, age 26, and his cousin, To Hanh Nhi, age 25, each received 15 years in prison.

According to the indictment, Hieu invited his wife and Nhi to sell counterfeit goods on Shopee for profit. Through social media, Hieu and his wife purchased fake products, made from green tea powder and flour, which were manufactured by Hoang Thi Hien.

Some of the products, in addition to fake packaging, also bore "anti-counterfeit" stamps to deceive consumers. The three agreed to set up 20 storefronts on Shopee. They then created their own positive reviews and ratings for the products, and generated "dummy" orders to boost sales.

Investigators determined that from 11/2023 to 11/2024, the group illegally profited 2,4 billion VND through selling counterfeit goods on e-commerce storefronts. Of this amount, Hieu and his wife collected over 2,3 billion VND.

In connection with the case, Hien was identified as having manufactured counterfeit goods sold to the three defendants. However, since this act occurred in TP HCM, Hien was prosecuted and is being handled in a separate case by the Ho Chi Minh City Police Investigation Agency.