Police in Thanh Hoa Province arrest 14 suspects and seize nearly 10 tonnes of counterfeit pharmaceuticals.
Authorities in Thanh Hoa Province have dismantled a large-scale fake medicine ring that had been operating for four years, arresting 14 suspects and seizing nearly 10 tonnes of counterfeit pharmaceuticals.
On April 16, the Thanh Hoa Provincial Police Investigation Agency officially charged 14 individuals with producing and trading counterfeit goods.
According to investigators, the ring had been operating covertly since 2021, generating nearly VND200 billion in illegal profits by manufacturing and distributing counterfeit medicines, particularly those for joint and bone treatment.
The Economic Police Division uncovered the ring after monitoring online activities and identifying suspicious behaviour in Thanh Hoa City and surrounding areas. The suspects were allegedly producing and selling fake medicine with sophisticated methods to avoid detection.
Following a co-ordinated investigation, police conducted urgent raids at six locations across Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and the provinces of Vinh Phuc, Hung Yen, An Giang, and Dong Thap. The searches uncovered 21 types of counterfeit pharmaceutical products and raw materials used in their production, totalling nearly 10 tonnes.
The counterfeit pharmaceutical products seized
Nguyen Tien Dat, 34, was identified as the ringleader in collaboration with Trinh Doan Giao, 40. Exploiting the common habit of self-medication among the public, the group set up production lines, purchased machinery, and studied the components of real pharmaceutical drugs.
They sourced ingredients, herbs, pharmaceuticals, and medicinal substances of unknown origin, then hired workers to process them into counterfeit medicine. The fake products were distributed through various unofficial channels.
Police revealed that the group employed a new method of deception: instead of replicating existing drugs on the market, they created entirely fictitious brands and company names, many with virtual headquarters abroad in countries such as Malaysia and Singapore, to mislead consumers.
Production occurred in discreet warehouses in remote areas, dead ends, or alleys. Workers, mostly relatives or acquaintances from other provinces, were housed on-site and isolated from residents to maintain secrecy.
Once manufactured, the fake medicines were marketed online under the guise of being hand-carried imports by individuals posing as pharmaceutical sales representatives. The group initially mixed genuine medicine with fake products to build trust before switching to counterfeit-only distribution. Their primary customers were freelance pharmacists and traders operating in local medicine markets.