Authorities raided a warehouse in Bangkok early this week and confiscated large amounts of bogus fah talai jone, or green chiretta extract, valued at more than a million baht.
The raid, carried out by the Consumer Protection Police Division (CPPD) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), took place on Tuesday following a complaint made by a person who bought the herbal medicine from a Facebook page.
According to the complainant, the vendor, identified only as Koi, claimed the herbal medicine was sold under the "Dok Buatong" brand and was approved by the FDA. The vendor also claimed she owned a cosmetic and supplementary diet factory in Klong Sam Wa district.
The complainant paid 1.1 million baht for the medicine only to discover it was counterfeit and had not been made by the manufacturer of the "Dok Buatong" brand. The complainant filed a report with police after the vendor refused to return the money.
Police obtained a search warrant and found 5,000 bottles of counterfeit fah talai jone at the premises owned by the vendor. The FDA warned consumers to check on its website for a list of fake green chiretta products before making a purchase.