Police seized fake animal medication worth more than 84 million baht from two major gang networks during raids in Nakhon Pathom and Samut Sakhon provinces.
Officers from the Consumer Protection Police Division (CPPD) and officials from the Food and Drug Administration seized 222,360 illegal items found at four premises in the two central provinces, Thanakit Jitareerat, vice-minister for public health, told reporters on Tuesday. The seized goods had a retail value of 84.84 million baht.
In Nakhon Pathom, three premises were searched. One location in tambon Huai Kwang, Kamphaeng Saen district, was used to illegally produce the medications, and at least 20 items of equipment and raw materials were seized. In tambon Don Tum district, 112 packages of unregistered animal drugs were confiscated from a house. At a warehouse in Sam Phran district, falsely packaged and labeled animal drugs were also seized, said Pol Col Anuwat Rakcharoen, CPPD deputy commander. All three locations were part of an illegal animal drugs network that had been first raided in 2020, he added. The fake medications were sold by pet shops and online.
In Samut Sakhon, police raided a warehouse in tambon Bang Nam Jued, Muang district, and seized 6,270 packs of illegal animal drugs worth about 4.8 million baht, said Pol Lt Col Kankanit Jongprasert, deputy superintendent of the CPPD sub-division 4. According to Pol Lt Col Kankanit, this criminal network was operated by Chinese nationals, with the fake drugs imported from China. The Chinese bosses instructed their employees in Thailand to pack and send the parcels to customers within the country. This particular operation had been running for about four months, selling approximately 500 boxes of animal drugs per month, worth about 300,000 baht.
The seized items will be sent to the Department of Medical Sciences for laboratory tests. FDA deputy secretary-general Weerachai Nalawachai warned that unregistered veterinary drugs could be harmful to pets, as they might not contain essential substances or could have incorrect dosages. He advised pet owners to ensure the authenticity of the medications they give to their pets.
Photo ..Wassayos Ngamkham)
