Chinese doctor arrested for selling herbal medicine without permit

Thai authorities arrested a Chinese doctor for selling herbal medicine in Thailand without a permit and seized 60,000 herbal medicine tablets and pharmaceutical machines.

The Consumer Protection Police Division (CPPD) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released details of the Chinese doctor’s arrest during a press conference yesterday. The 45 year old doctor, Lijun Cheung, reportedly operated a clinic and store in the Prawet district of Bangkok under the name Doctor Thian Chinese Medicine.

CPPD Commander Anan Nanasombat explained that officers discovered a Facebook page for the store that exaggerated the benefits of herbal medicine.

The page claimed that herbal medicine could treat several symptoms such as insomnia, migraine, chronic acid reflux (GERD), constipation, office syndrome, backache, and more. Additionally, the herbs could also nourish the liver and boost homeostatic abilities.

The Facebook page also posted pictures and videos of when Dr Lijun joined several television shows in Thailand to make the store more reliable.

However, upon further investigation, officers found that the doctor did not have a permit to sell the drugs from the Thai FDA so, raided the store in the Prawet district of Bangkok.

Officers arrested Dr Lijun at the store and seized his medicine and tools as evidence including 60,000 herbal medicine tablets, 700 bags of liquid herbal medicine, and pharmaceutical machines.

Dr Lijun disclosed that he studied traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in China and acquired a license in TCM practice in Thailand. He had knowledge of the herbs and decided to produce the medicine and sold them without permission for over a year.

Dr Lijun was charged with violating Section 58(4) of the Herbal Products Act by manufacturing and selling herbal products with an unregistered recipe. The penalty will be imprisonment for up to one year, a fine of up to 100,000 baht, or both.

In related news, on Monday, April 24, six Chinese men were arrested for selling fake gold to Thai people. The officers confiscated 179 pieces of fake gold, 10 fake gold statutes, eight gold sheets, 24 ATM cards, 12 mobile phones, and a piercing saw at their luxury hotel in the Ratchada area of Bangkok.

The gang denied the allegation but revealed that they were former members of the scam call centre gang in Indonesia before moving to Thailand to set up their criminal gang. The police revealed that more members of the gang were still at large and that they would conduct further investigations to crack down on the entire network.