Tens of thousands of fake traditional medicine boxes seized in Ho Chi Minh City

Police discovered over 4,000 finished medicine boxes, along with approximately 790 kg of tablets and capsules, within a fake traditional medicine production ring led by Thai Chanh Kien.

On 16/4, the Ho Chi Minh City Police's Economic Police Department (PC03) arrested Thai Chanh Kien, Ma Du Thai, and Van Tat Khang on charges of producing and trading counterfeit medicines.

Thai Chanh Kien and two accomplices arrested. Photo: Ho Chi Minh City Police

The arrests followed an investigation that began in late 3. PC03 officers observed an individual transporting suspected counterfeit medicine on Au Co street and initiated a stop. The subsequent interrogation provided crucial leads, allowing police to track down and apprehend Kien, identified as the ringleader.

Searches at multiple locations yielded significant evidence: over 4,000 finished medicine boxes, approximately 790 kg of tablets and capsules—equivalent to nearly 1.5 million pills or over 25,000 boxes containing 60 pills each—along with large quantities of packaging materials, labels, and manufacturing equipment.

Investigators revealed Kien had been producing unlicensed traditional medicine since 2021. By late 2024, he escalated his operations, manufacturing counterfeit medicine and applying fake foreign labels to mislead consumers. Ma Du Thai and Van Tat Khang were instrumental in designing and printing the deceptive packaging. Disturbingly, some of the group's products were found to contain Paracetamol, a common pain reliever, which poses serious health risks when mixed improperly or without proper dosage information in unregulated medicines.