A police task force Sunday raided a factory in Pathum Thani's Khlong Luang district which was allegedly linked to a group of eight suspects arrested a day before for allegedly selling substandard cosmetics and weight loss products.
The raid at factory followed the major crackdown last Saturday, according to Pol Maj Gen Angkoon Khlaikhueng, commander of Police Tourism 3 who led the raid.
According to the police investigation, the factory was connected to the eight suspects who sold products with the trademarks Apple Slim, Slim Milk, Snow Milk, Fern, Magic Skin, Shinoshi, Treechada and Mezzo. Each of these products carried either a fake Food and Drug Administration (FDA) certificate or the wrong type of FDA certificates, police said.
Police Sunday confiscated more than 100 cartons of health supplements and cosmetic products, manufacturing equipment and tools, and product formulas for many brands, Pol Maj Gen Angkoon said.
He said the products are illegal because they do not have certificates from the FDA and the manufacturing process is deemed substandard.
"The formulas were allegedly created without any basis, which put consumers in danger. The product labels are also illegal," he said.
He said authorities are expected to carry out raids on some locations affiliated with the suspects.
The Saturday crackdown came after police received a file of complaints accusing the group of using a bogus FDA certificate to sell sub-standard skin care and weight loss products online. The group also operates a training school to recruit members to become sales representatives.
Police also asked the Anti-Money Laundering Office to look into the money trail of the eight suspects after finding the average transaction of the gang's account exceeded 100 million baht. Police would expand their investigation into celebrity endorsers. Police also found the group has used computer software to increase Facebook "likes" to attract clients.
