Police seize thousands of fake hand sanitizers, arrest suspects

Dang Huu Huynh, 31, and his mother were arrested for producing and selling thousands of bottles of counterfeit hand sanitizer sprays.

The Economic Police Department in Nghe An province, central Vietnam on Sunday caught them red-handed selling 1,670 fake AERIUS brand hand sanitizers.

Searching the house of Huynh’s mother, Nguyen Thi Hong, 54, in Can Loc district, Ha Tinh, police seized nearly 2,900 plastic bottles, large plastic containers, and bottles containing chemical solutions.

Confessing to the police, Huynh said seeing the surge in Covid-19 cases and demand for hand sanitizers while there is a scarcity of the product, he purchased materials to produce 4,500 bottles and distribute them to retailers in Vinh and other places in Nghe An. A piece was priced at VND20,000-30,000 ($1.3).

In a similar case, on March 3, Nghe An police seized nearly 1,600 bottles of fake AERIUS hand sanitizer sprays and 1,944 bottles of counterfeit Tue Linh wind oil, both of which were prepared for market launch.

During the inspection, Hoang Anh Dong, 39, failed to present any documents proving that he was authorized by the authorities to produce these goods.

Dong admitted purchasing hydrogen peroxide, 96-degree alcohol, lemongrass essential oil, glycerin solution, clove essential oil, menthol, and other solutions from medical facilities in Vinh, then concocting and packaging them in white plastic bottles for sale. He printed the above labels and attached them to the bottles before distribution. Each was priced at VND18,000 ($0.79).

Dang Huu Huynh, Nguyen Thi Hong, and Hoang Anh Dong are now under investigation for "producing and trading counterfeit goods" under Article 192 of the Penal Code.

According to the regulations, the act of trading in counterfeit goods, poor quality goods depending on the nature, the extent of violations, and the consequences will be administratively handled or examined for criminal liability.

Counterfeiting hand sanitizers is dangerous because unqualified sanitizers have no effect on disease prevention, putting consumers' health and life at risk.