Illegal factory in Nonthaburi busted for fake sterile cotton balls
Thai police shut down an illegal medical supply factory in Nonthaburi after uncovering a massive operation producing unlicenced cotton balls soaked in diluted alcohol, potentially endangering thousands of patients.
Consumer Protection Police (CPP) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) officials raided the factory in Khlong Khoi subdistrict yesterday, February 10, following a tip-off.
Inside, they found over 9,000 packs of counterfeit medical cotton balls, 10 gallons of alcohol, and 89 bags of dry cotton balls, along with manufacturing equipment.
FDA Secretary General Dr Surachoke Tangwiwat revealed that the factory had never registered with the FDA, yet falsely displayed a licence number belonging to another company on its packaging.
Worse still, investigators discovered that workers were diluting ethyl alcohol with water before soaking the cotton balls, significantly reducing their effectiveness.
Police are testing the seized products for contamination, with further criminal charges expected if harmful substances are found.
A police probe uncovered that between October 2024 and January 2025, the factory supplied over 88,000 packs of these substandard medical supplies to 12 hospitals and multiple drugstores, amounting to 240,000 baht in sales.
The factory owner now faces serious legal consequences, charged with manufacturing medical equipment without a licence and using a fraudulent quality standard seal—offences that carry a maximum sentence of two years in prison, a fine of up to 1 million baht, or both.
With patients unknowingly exposed to potentially ineffective and unsafe medical supplies, police urge hospitals and pharmacies to immediately check their inventory and report any suspicious products.
Further investigations are underway to determine how far this fraudulent operation has spread, reported The Nation.
In similar news, police in Samut Sakhon raided a warehouse linked to a Chinese investor on February 7, uncovering an illegal operation producing counterfeit laundry detergent and unauthorised LED bulbs. Officers seized production machinery and detained 13 undocumented workers.
Samut Sakhon Governor Nirith Niramaiwong, alongside Krathum Baen district officials and police, inspected Aurora Cleaning Company in Tha Mai subdistrict. Investigations confirmed that the warehouse, rented by a Chinese investor, was manufacturing laundry detergent and fabric softener without proper authorisation.
Officials confiscated 8,000 counterfeit detergent products, including gallons, lock-cap bags, and labelled cardboard boxes. Among 23 workers, 13 were found to be working illegally. Further legal action is underway.
Latest Thailand News
