More than 3,400 boxes of fake supplements are discarded at five points along Nguyen Van Linh Street in Ho Chi Minh City on May 28.
According to Ho Chi Minh City police, more than 3,400 boxes of fake supplements, spanning 90 different product types, were transported by motorised tricycle and discarded at five points along Nguyen Van Linh Street.
Police identified the man responsible for the dumping as a 33-year-old resident of Binh Chanh District. He told investigators he had been hired by a contact acting on behalf of a director of a supplement distribution company. He said he received VND 7 million (approximately USD 275) to destroy the goods.
On May 28, the driver received a truck delivery containing 80 cartons of packaging materials and 167 boxes of supplements. He attempted to burn the items in an open field along Nguyen Van Linh Street, but heavy rain prevented the fire from destroying them. Local authorities discovered unburned products, prompting an investigation.
Source of the counterfeit goods
Another 36-year-old man who is the director of a company that distributes dietary supplements and cosmetics later confirmed to police that he had hired the driver to dispose of the items. The director’s company distributes dietary supplements, cosmetics, and medical devices online, including Shopee, Lazada, and TikTok Shop.
He said he had purchased the supplements from VP Joint Venture JSC, based in District 12, Ho Chi Minh City. Since mid-2023, his company acquired approximately 150 product types from VP Joint Venture, valued at around VND 20 billion (approximately USD 785,000).
In late April, the director learned through media reports that the Ministry of Public Security was investigating VP Joint Venture JSC for allegedly distributing counterfeit products. Fearing legal consequences, he began recalling and attempting to destroy the remaining inventory, resulting in an estimated VND 500 million (approximately USD 19,600) worth of supplements being dumped.
The director also told police his company still held returned or unsold inventory, including 14 supplement types collected from buyers and partner vendors. He voluntarily handed over five cartons of these items to police.
The fake products at the company's store.
Among the products confiscated from the company’s District 12 office were 238 boxes of dietary supplements labelled Kim Tien Thao Rau Meo, Ultra Omega, Natural’s Health Mediphar, Pedia Baby and others.
The case is under further investigation by the Ho Chi Minh City Police Department.
