
Fake COVID testing kits seized from 77 countries in international trafficking crackdown
By AFP
Police have seized 17,000 fake COVID-19 testing kits discovered in raids against illicit food and drink products across dozens of countries, Interpol said Wednesday.
Officials seized $40 million (34.5 million euros) worth of fake or substandard products in 77 countries, and arrested 407 people in the operation, carried out from December 2019 to June 2020.
The products included contaminated dairy products, meat from illegally slaughtered animals and food products falsely labelled as medicinal cures, said Interpol, based in the southeastern French city of Lyon.
But police also intercepted thousands of fake medical products as countries worldwide rushed to secure supplies while locking down to curtail the coronavirus pandemic.
- Roche, Cipla Launch Antibody Cocktail Casirivimab and Imdevimab in India. Check Price, Details
- Woman ‘bought by husband’ for Rs 40,000 tries to sell 5-year-old daughter for Rs 500
- Delhi reported 25 dengue cases till May 22, highest in Jan-May period since 2013
- WILL INDIA BLOCK FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM IN 2 DAYS AS NEW IT RULES COME INTO EFFECT?
- DELHI POLICE VISITS TWITTER INDIA OFFICES IN DELHI, GURUGRAM AMID ‘CONGRESS TOOLKIT CONTROVERSY’
“As countries around the world continue their efforts to contain COVID-19, the criminal networks distributing these potentially dangerous products show only their determination to make a profit,” the agency’s secretary general Jurgen Stock said in a statement.
Besides the fake COVID-19 tests, the raids uncovered disinfectants and even a shipment of seafood in South Africa, originating from Asia, that was falsely declared as personal protective equipment.
“Other illicit products recovered included cosmetics, footwear, clothing, handbags, car parts, electronics, tobacco and medicines, worth an estimated $3.1 million,” Interpol said.
It was the agency’s ninth year of coordinated Opson raids against counterfeit or substandard food and drink, which regularly seize thousands of tons of fake and potentially harmful products.
Fake COVID testing kits seized from 77 countries in international trafficking crackdown
stay connected with us! For more updates
LIKE SHARE and SUBSCRIBE
if you like the article information then press the like button, Comments you’re opinions about this article and share it with family and friends on social media platforms
SUSCRIBE Quickclarity news to get latest news updates
Disclaimer : This story is auto-aggregated by a computer program and has not been created or edited by Quickclarity news.
Publisher – The New Indian Express
Thank you for reading