Counterfeit cough syrup worth 100 million baht seized in Thailand
Police and health officials conducted raids in Nakhon Pathom, Samut Sakhon, and Bangkok on sites associated with the production and sale of counterfeit cough syrup, seizing items valued at over 100 million baht on the retail market.
This operation involved collaboration between the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the Nakhon Pathom provincial public health office. They dismantled a network responsible for producing and distributing fake branded cough syrup, effectively stopping its large-scale distribution.
Officers targeted four locations: a factory in Kamphaeng Saen district, Nakhon Pathom, where the counterfeit syrup was produced; a courier company in Thawi Watthana district, Bangkok, responsible for its distribution; a firm in Mueang district, Samut Sakhon, involved in making labels for the syrup; and a storage warehouse. They confiscated ingredients, equipment, and packaging materials from the factory, along with 54,000 bottles of syrup from the courier company and the label-making firm, with the total confiscated items valued at more than 100 million baht.
The Consumer Protection Police Division 4 received reports via social media concerning the misuse of cough medicine and other drugs mixed with kratom juice to create 4×100 formula cocktails, known to be highly addictive and a gateway to more dangerous substances.
The counterfeit syrup was manufactured in makeshift facilities that frequently changed locations to evade police detection, with workers enduring poor living and working conditions. This syrup was then distributed to a broader criminal network.
Producing medicine without authorisation can lead to a jail sentence of up to five years and/or a fine of 10,000 baht. Producing and selling fake medicine can result in a jail term of three years to life imprisonment and/or fines ranging from 10,000 to 50,000 baht.
Doctor Withid Sariddeechaikool, the FDA’s secretary-general, urged the public to avoid abusing antihistamines and cough syrup and to steer clear of 4×100 cocktails. He highlighted that many facilities lack proper hygiene and good manufacturing practices.
The FDA now mandates that manufacturers and importers report chemical imports and drug production to the FDA every four months, with legal repercussions for non-compliance, reported Bangkok Post.
The FDA encourages the public to report any suspicious activities related to the illegal production, import, or sale of health products via the FDA hotline 1556, email: 1556@fda.moph.go.th, its LINE account @FDAThai, or at provincial health offices.