Dat, 34, residing in Minh Khai village, An Khanh commune, was recently indicted by the Economic Police Department of Hanoi City Police for investigation into the crime of "Producing and trading counterfeit food products," under clause 3, article 193 of the Penal Code.

Police and market management inspecting the warehouse. Photo: Provided by Police

According to the police, Dat purchased raw and semi-finished cakes and candies from various sources. He then designed and ordered packaging, using information and barcodes that falsely indicated the goods originated from South Korea, Japan, Thailand, and Indonesia.

Although the packaging displayed foreign product barcodes, the goods were actually sourced and packaged in Vietnam.

During the inspection, police temporarily seized 15 types of goods, including: 2,175 cartons of finished products, equivalent to about 19,73 tons; 823 cartons, 70 bags, and 240 kg of raw and semi-finished materials; along with machinery, equipment, supplies, packaging, and ledgers.

The total related finished goods were identified as 2,110 cartons, equivalent to about 19,3 tons, valued at 1,1 billion VND.

Seized cakes and candies. Photo: Provided by Police