Police seized fake animal medication worth more than 84 million baht from two major gang networks during raids in Nakhon Pathom and Samut Sakhon provinces.
Officers from the Consumer Protection Police Division (CPPD) and officials from the Food and Drug Administration seized 222,360 illegal items found at four premises in the two central provinces, Thanakit Jitareerat, vice-minister for public health, told reporters on Tuesday. He said the seized goods had a retail value of 84.84 million baht.
In Nakhon Pathom, they searched three premises.
One place was used to illegally produce the medications, in tambon Huai Kwang of Kamphaeng Saen district. At least 20 items of equipment used in the production process, and raw materials, were seized.
At a house in tambon Don Tum district they seized 112 packages of unregistered animal drugs.
At a warehouse in Sam Phran district they also seized falsely packaged and labelled animal drugs, Pol Col Anuwat Rakcharoen, CPPD deputy commander, said.
All three locations were part of an illegal animal drugs network that had been first raided in 2020, Pol Col Anuwat said.
The fake animal meds were sold by pet shops and online, he said.
In Samut Sakhon, police raided a warehouse in tambon Bang Nam Jued in Muang district and seized 6,270 packs of illegal animal drugs worth about 4.8 million baht, said Pol Lt Col Kankanit Jongprasert, deputy superintendent of the CPPD sub-division 4.
Chinese nationals run this criminal network, according to Pol Lt Col Kankanit. The fake drugs were imported from China. The Chinese bosses told their Chinese employees in Thailand to pack them and send the parcels to customers in Thailand.
This particular business had been operating for about four months and sold about 500 boxes of animal drugs a month, worth about 300,000 baht.
The seized items would be sent to the Department of Medical Sciences for laboratory tests.
FDA deputy secretary-general Weerachai Nalawachai said it could be harmful to give unregistered veterinary drugs to pets. They might not contain important substances, or have incorrect amounts of important substances.
He advised pet owners to be careful when giving their pets medication and try to confirm its authenticity.
Fake animal drugs displayed at the media briefing on Tuesday. (Photo supplied/ Wassayos Ngamkham)