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Image source,Interpol
Fake vaccine found in South Africa
Interpol stated that Chinese and South African police have seized thousands of doses of new fake coronavirus vaccines and arrested dozens of people. In China, police arrested 80 people at a factory that allegedly produced fake vaccines and found at least 3,000 doses of fake vaccines.
Three Chinese nationals and a Zambian were arrested at a warehouse in Gauteng province, South Africa, where police found 2,400 vaccine injections packaged in small glass vials.
It is unclear when the arrest took place.
The South African “Sunday Times” reported the discovery in late December. Interpol said in a statement on Wednesday (March 3) that they have also received other reports of fake vaccine chains.
Image source,Interpol
Fake vaccines were found in a warehouse in South Africa.
Interpol is headquartered in Lyon, France, and is committed to promoting international cooperation in policing and crime control. According to statistics from Johns Hopkins University, the new corona virus has claimed more than 2.5 million lives worldwide and infected nearly 115 million people.
When INTERPOL announced the destruction of the allegedly fake vaccine network, it emphasized that “there are currently no approved vaccines for sale on the Internet.”
The statement read: “Any vaccine advertised on websites or on the dark web is illegal, has not been tested and can be dangerous.”
Vaccines are an important tool in defeating the epidemic. In recent months, medical departments in various countries have increasingly approved products, but global procurement competition remains fierce.
What did the police find?
According to Interpol, in Germiston, Gauteng province, South Africa, the police found around 400 bottles, which is equivalent to about 2,400 doses of fake vaccines and a large number of fake 3M masks.
Interpol published images of the boxes and packages in the warehouse.
South African police spokesman Vish Naidoo said events have shown that cooperation with other INTERPOL member states has been “very effective. Foreign nationals trying to sell fake vaccines to unsuspecting people in South Africa have been arrested.”
Image source,Interpol
A fake vaccine warehouse found by police in South Africa
South Africa only began vaccinating the public on February 17, after people were concerned about the effectiveness of the vaccine against new variants of the coronavirus.
Interpol did not provide the location or further details of the counterfeit factories in China. A spokesman for the Chinese Ministry of Public Security stated that the Chinese police are conducting “targeted prevention and fight against vaccine-related crimes” and will strengthen constructive cooperation with Interpol and the police of other countries to effectively prevent such crimes. crimes.
How serious is the problem of fake vaccines?
Interpol Secretary General Jürgen Stock said he welcomes the actions of the Chinese and South African police, but when it comes to crimes related to the new corona virus vaccine, this is “just the tip of the iceberg.” .
In December last year, the organization issued a global alert to 194 member states, warning organized crime networks to protect themselves against new coronavirus vaccines and providing advice on how to identify counterfeit medical products.
Last month, China arrested the person responsible for the case of the fake vaccine, which involved millions of dollars, and used salt water and mineral water as the new corona vaccine.
It generally takes ten years for a vaccine to go from research and development to market launch, but the new corona vaccine is available in one year. What procedures have been accelerated?
Suspect Kong had studied the actual vaccine packaging design before producing 58,000 doses of the vaccine. He is one of 70 people arrested for similar crimes.
According to the court ruling, Kong and his team made a profit of 18 million yuan (approximately US $ 2.78 million). They put salt water or mineral water in the syringe and sold it as a new coronavirus vaccine.
A batch of bogus vaccines was smuggled overseas, but it was not known where they were shipped.
In a case in Mexico last month, police arrested six people suspected of smuggling fake coronavirus vaccines in the northern state of Nuevo León.
The suspect reportedly sold vaccines at a clinic on the outskirts of Monterrey, at a price of approximately US $ 2,000 per dose.
