Counterfeit powdered milk and a range of other food supplement products smuggled from Vietnam were unveiled by consumer protection police during a media briefing on Thursday. (Photo supplied/Wassayos Ngamkham).
In a significant bust, consumer protection police have seized counterfeit powdered milk products valued at 18 million baht, smuggled from Vietnam. The raid on a warehouse in Samut Prakan also resulted in the arrest of six migrant workers. Officers from the Consumer Protection Police Division (CPPD) and officials from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) confiscated 41 items of evidence, including nearly 20,000 cans of powdered milk and numerous other supplement products, according to Pol Maj Gen Witthaya Sriprasertparb, CPPD commander.
The crackdown follows an FDA investigation that discovered a website making dubious claims about powdered milk products, purporting exaggerated benefits and falsely claiming certification by the FDA in the US. These ads suggested the products were No. 1 best sellers in New Zealand and were widely shared across various social media platforms.
Through meticulous detective work, police traced the products to a warehouse in Phra Pradaeng, where they found an astonishing haul: 12,625 cans of powdered milk from eight different brands, 1,776 children’s supplement products, 3,660 items of unregistered medicines, and 95 vitamin products. Six migrant workers from Laos and Myanmar were caught red-handed, packing these illicit items. They were promptly arrested and charged with selling unregistered products and working without official permits.
Pol Col Veeraphong Khlaithong, superintendent of CPPD sub-division 4, uncovered more layers to this crafty operation. He revealed that Vietnamese nationals orchestrated the smuggling operation, renting buildings to stash these counterfeit goods before selling them online. “Interested customers are prompted to fill in their details on the website,” he explained. Sales representatives then contacted potential buyers over the phone, embellishing the benefits of the products to entice them to purchase more.
The scam didn’t stop there. Two to three weeks after the initial purchase, sales staff followed up with buyers to inquire about their experience and pitch additional products. Remarkably, each month saw between 3,000 to 6,000 purchase orders.
The powder milk and supplements were sold at a price range of 1,090 to 1,190 baht per can. The Vietnamese masterminds behind the operation clandestinely visited Thailand monthly to monitor their business and stay vigilant about potential crackdowns. These smugglers were keenly aware of the Thai authorities’ efforts to weed out non-FDA-certified milk products. If they sensed upcoming inspections, they would swiftly move their stash to different locations to evade capture.
This is so outrageous! I can’t believe people would counterfeit something as essential as powdered milk for kids.
It’s really sickening. Just think of how many families might have trusted these fake products for their children.
Exactly, it’s just criminal. They’re playing with the health of innocent kids!
Well, it’s a result of people looking to make easy money. This is what happens when there’s too much trust in online products.
To play devil’s advocate here, isn’t it a failure of the Thai authorities for not catching them sooner?
Kind of agree, but you have to realize these operations are designed to be sneaky and hard to detect.
I get that, but 18 million baht worth of products is a huge amount. Was no one paying attention?
I think the authorities did a good job considering how intricate the operation was. They can’t be everywhere all the time.
How could people even fall for such scams? Don’t they check the sources before buying, especially for something as important as powdered milk?
If the fake websites look genuine and they market it well, anyone can fall for it.
I understand that, but still, people need to be more vigilant.
Not everyone has the resources or knowledge to verify these things. It’s unfair to blame the victims.
Think about the migrant workers. They were probably just trying to make a living. The real criminals are the people orchestrating this from Vietnam.
True, but the workers still knew what they were doing was illegal.
Maybe, but desperation can make people do things they wouldn’t normally do.
The real issue here is the lack of stringent regulations on international trade. More needs to be done globally to track these dangerous products.
Easier said than done. International regulations take years to implement and often face a lot of resistance.
Glad they caught these people. Counterfeiting products meant for children is just despicable.
The focus should also be on educating consumers. Awareness can prevent so many falling victim to these scams.
How come nothing is being done about the online platforms hosting these fraudulent websites? Shouldn’t they be held accountable too?
Totally agree! These platforms have a responsibility to monitor the products being sold through their sites.
Think about the damage control if they took their role seriously.
This highlights the importance of buying from reputable sources. You get what you pay for!
Sometimes people don’t have the option to buy from reputable sources. Poverty can force their hand.
True, but that’s where government interventions and safety nets should come in.
It’s incredible how coordinated criminal enterprises can be. This was an entire operation with follow-ups and monitoring. Crazy!
The government should provide more support for breastfeeding. It’s the safest option for babies.
Not everyone can breastfeed, Tim. That’s a very narrow perspective.
I get that. But for those who can, it’s definitely better.
I still can’t wrap my head around how such huge quantities were smuggled across borders without getting noticed.
Maybe there’s corruption or lapses at the borders? It happens more often than we think.
If that’s true, then it’s really concerning. We need more accountability.
This whole ordeal makes a strong case for better science education. People should know how to check for counterfeit products.
It’s easier said than done. Sometimes even experts get fooled by well-made counterfeits.
Just another day in the world of capitalism. As long as there’s profit to be made, this won’t be the last scam operation we see.
The authorities should track and arrest the masterminds, not just the small-time workers. They need to go for the head of the snake!
True, but those masterminds are likely far away and protected. It’s not easy to get them.