Bangkok—
On January 29th, 2024, Pol. Lt. Gen. Witthaya Sriprasertphap, the Commissioner of the Police Consumer Protection Division, and relevant agencies held a press conference raiding a warehouse in Lat Krabang, Bangkok, storing counterfeit and illegal cosmetics sold on online platforms.
Pol. Lt. Gen. Witthaya stated to the public that a product owner of one of the brands filed a complaint report about counterfeit and illegal cosmetics being sold on online platforms. The cream texture of counterfeit cosmetics was different from a legitimate brand and had a lower price in the market, said police.
The police then performed an investigation and requested a search warrant from Minburi Criminal Court after locating the product distribution center in Lat Krabang, Bangkok.
At the warehouse, a storekeeper, publicly identified only as Ms. Chamaiphon, reportedly told the police that the products were allegedly owned by Mr. Shanke (whose last name was withheld by the police), a Chinese investor. Shanke reportedly ordered popular products in Thailand from China before packing and distributing them to Thai customers on online platforms, according to the police.
Chamaiphon further added that Shanke had more than 9 digital stores in which customers ordered counterfeit and illegal cosmetics, Chamaiphon would then pack the products and distribute them to Thai customers. They had been doing this for two years and between 5,000 to 10,000 products were distributed per day, according to the police. Shanke’s location, however, was unknown.
There were more than 14,000 properties in dispute, with a total value of 3.6 million baht, according to the police.
The seized products had no legit registration number, or label, and had lower prices compared to other products on the market. Furthermore, the Thai Department of Medical Sciences would determine whether the products contained prohibited ingredients or not and additional legal action might be taken if illegal substances were found, remarked Pol. Lt. Gen. Witthaya.
