Malaysian held in fake-liquor case

Malaysian held in fake-liquor case

Officers gather around suspect Chan Sion Heng and a haul of liquor bottles bearing fake labels and duty stamps following his arrest in Hat Yai on Friday evening. (Photo by Assawin Pakkawan)
Officers gather around suspect Chan Sion Heng and a haul of liquor bottles bearing fake labels and duty stamps following his arrest in Hat Yai on Friday evening. (Photo by Assawin Pakkawan)

SONGKHLA: A Malaysian man has been arrested on charges of producing fake liquor, with 100 bottles of whisky bearing fake major-brand labels and duty stamps seized during a raid in Hat Yai.

A combined team of police, soldiers and local officials raided the two-storey building on Ratdamri Road in Hat Yai municipality on Friday evening following information that counterfeit alcohol was being produced there.

Chan Sion Heng, 37, a Malaysian national, was apprehended after the team found 10 boxes containing 100 bottles of fake Scotch whisky of popular brands such as Johnnie Walker Black Label and Red Label and Chivas Regal. They also found 30 empty bottles, fake stamps, fake alcohol labels and purchase orders for foreign alcohol on the prtemises.

Police said the suspect told them he had been producing fake whisky for more than five years in response to orders from customers.

The suspect bought real whisky and mixed it with concentrate of each foreign alcohol brand, police said. He told them his production cost was 2,400 baht per 10-bottle carton, which he sold for 5,500 baht, still well below the retail price of genuine products.

Authorities said Mr Chan had been arrested on other occasions but later released, most recently in September 2016.

Police plan to extend the investigation to find out where the fake whisky had been distributed.

Video obtained via Assawin Pakkawan.

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