Faux paw: Cops seize over 84 million baht of fake animal meds

A recent police crackdown on counterfeit animal medication targeted two major Chinese gang networks in Nakhon Pathom and Samut Sakhon, yielding over 84 million baht worth of fake drugs.

According to the Vice-Minister for Public Health, Thanakit Jitareerat, officers from the Consumer Protection Police Division (CPPD) and officials from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) seized 222,360 illegal items from four premises across the two central provinces. The retail value of the confiscated goods was reported to be 84.84 million baht.

CPPD Deputy Commander, Police Colonel Anuwat Rakcharoen confirmed that authorities raided three locations in Nakhon Pathom. A facility in Kamphaeng Saen district was found to be illegally producing fake medications. The raid resulted in the seizure of at least 20 pieces of production equipment and raw materials.

In Don Tum district, 112 packages of unregistered animal medications were confiscated from a house. Additionally, a warehouse in the Sam Phran district was found to contain falsely packaged and labelled medications.

These locations were part of an illegal animal medication network first raided in 2020. The counterfeit medications were distributed through pet shops and online platforms.

In Samut Sakhon, a warehouse in Bang Nam Jued, Mueang district, was raided, leading to the seizure of 6,270 packs of illegal medication, valued at approximately 4.8 million baht.

Deputy Superintendent of the CPPD sub-division 4, Police Lieutenant Colonel Kankanit Jongprasert revealed that this network was operated by Chinese nationals. The medication was imported from China, repackaged by Chinese employees in Thailand, and then distributed to customers within the country.

This operation had been running for approximately four months, selling around 500 boxes of animal drugs monthly, worth about 300,000 baht. The seized items will be sent to the Department of Medical Sciences for laboratory analysis.

FDA Deputy Secretary-General Weerachai Nalawachai warned of the potential dangers of using unregistered veterinary drugs on pets, highlighting the risks of incorrect or missing active substances. He urged pet owners to verify the authenticity of medications before administering them to their pets, reported Bangkok Post.