A network smuggling counterfeit shampoo and toothpaste to rural areas.
The defendants, despite knowing that the shampoo and toothpaste were counterfeit and lacked proper documentation, still purchased them to resell for profit. Notably, Pham Thi Thuy had previously been tried for trading counterfeit goods but still reoffended.
On January 8th, the Nghe An Provincial People's Court opened a first-instance trial to hear the case against six defendants charged with trading counterfeit goods. The defendants include: Pham Thi Sang (born 1962) and Pham Thi Thuy (born 1983), both residing in Hanoi; Nguyen Thi Dung (born 1977), Bui Thi Truc (born 1994), Pham Thi Phuong (born 1975), and Hoang Van Thai (born 1991), all residing in Hai Chau commune, Nghe An province.
The ringleader of this counterfeit shampoo and toothpaste trafficking operation was Pham Thi Sang. She purchased the counterfeit goods from the Dau Market area in Tu Son City (formerly), Bac Ninh province. Through her connections, Sang then sold them to Dung, Phuong, and Thai for distribution in mountainous and remote areas.
The investigating agency determined that on August 8, 2024, Dung purchased from Sang 24 boxes of counterfeit shampoos under the brands Xmen, Rejoice, Sunsilk, Romano, etc., and many boxes of counterfeit toothpaste under the brands Sensodyne and Close-up, equivalent to nearly 74,000 packets/tubes, with a total value of over 136 million VND.
Meanwhile, Pham Thi Phuong ordered 12 boxes of counterfeit shampoos of the aforementioned brands from Sang, equivalent to more than 44,000 packets, with a total value of nearly 40 million VND.
In addition, Pham Thi Sang also sold counterfeit shampoo and toothpaste to many other people. The total value of the goods Sang sold to these individuals was over 243 million VND.
On the same day, Pham Thi Thuy, Bui Thi Truc, and Nguyen Thi Dung engaged in the buying and selling of counterfeit shampoos of various brands for profit. Truc ordered 35 boxes of counterfeit shampoos from Pham Thi Thuy, equivalent to over 164,000 packets, worth over 168 million VND. Nguyen Thi Dung ordered 9 boxes of counterfeit shampoos of various brands, worth nearly 35 million VND.
During searches of the residences of Nguyen Thi Dung, Bui Thi Truc, and Pham Thi Phuong, authorities seized thousands more packages of counterfeit shampoo under various brand names.
At the trial, the defendants confessed that they knew the goods were counterfeit and lacked proper documentation, but they still bought them to resell because they were cheap.
Lawyers representing the companies whose products were counterfeited by the defendants requested that the defendants compensate them for the damage to their brands and consumers.
The panel of judges determined that the defendants' criminal acts violated economic management regulations, affected the reputation and honor of the enterprise, disrupted its normal operations, caused social disorder and insecurity, and created anxiety and worry among the people, therefore requiring strict punishment.
After a comprehensive review of the case, the panel of judges sentenced Pham Thi Sang to 3 years in prison; Pham Thi Thuy to 2 years and 6 months in prison, combined with a previous 24-month suspended sentence, resulting in a total sentence of 4 years and 6 months. Nguyen Thi Dung and Bui Thi Truc were each sentenced to 2 years in prison. Pham Thi Phuong and Hoang Van Thai were also fined 100 million VND.
