Police seize illegal mosquito repellents and fake nutritional supplements
The Consumer Protection Police Division and the Food and Drugs Administration has raided illegal factories producing dangerous mosquito repellent and fake nutritional supplements. Investigations are underway to find the people responsible.
Officials confiscated illegal Kwang Thong (golden dear) brand mosquito repellent coils factory in Nakhon Ratchasima, north-east Thailand, where 1,300 boxes of coils containing more than 10,000 packages were confiscated.
The coils manufactured at this factory had not been registered with the FDA, nor were they legally permitted to be manufactured. Inspection by the FDA shows the products are covered with ‘meperfluthrin’, a dangerous chemical that can cause confusion, headaches, nausea, vomiting, seizures, and loss of consciousness. Its use is a violation of the Hazardous Substance Act.
Officials also conducted an operation at a factory producing nutritional supplement products containing appetite suppressant ‘Sibutramine’, a dangerous chemical which has been declared a prohibited substance in the region.
The factory, located in Samut Sakhon, belongs to Nine Cos, the manufacturer of nutritional supplement brands Be Coli, Novy, and Kiwida, all of which display inaccurate information on their packages. These offences are violations of the Food Act. Officials collected products from the factory to identify any other chemicals in laboratory tests.
Meanwhile, officials have also searched another factory in Pathum Thani, north of Bangkok, believed to be producing supplements containing Sibutramine in unpackaged pills. The factory was found to be without a factory permit. The CPPD and FDA will conduct more searches and investigatations to find all persons involved. The general public is advised to check for the FDA number on product packaging before a purchase.
SOURCE: National News Bureau of Thailand
