Nghe An detects and handles more than 1,400 violations related to counterfeit goods and dirty food

Many cases were detected and handled.

At the end of May 2025, the Police Department for Investigation of Crimes of Corruption, Economy and Smuggling of Nghe An Province Police coordinated with relevant agencies to dismantle a cross-provincial counterfeit goods trafficking ring. Specifically, through inspection of a truck with license plate 37C.441.xx driven by Nhu Van H. (born in 1994), residing in Quynh Luu District, the authorities discovered nearly 480,000 products of various types without documents proving their legal origin, including more than 400,000 shampoo packages, 6,000 fabric softener packages and nearly 1,300 tubes of toothpaste.

Nhu Van H. confessed that the above goods were hired by Nguyen Thi Dung, Pham Thi Phuong, and Hoang Van Thai, all residing in Dien Kim Commune, Dien Chau District, to be transported from Gia Lam District, Hanoi City for consumption without any legal invoices or documents. Searching Nguyen Thi Dung's house, the authorities seized an additional 3,356 packages of counterfeit shampoo of various brands, and at Pham Thi Phuong's house, they seized 300 packages of counterfeit Comfort fabric softener.

Authorities identified Pham Thi Sang (born in 1962), residing in Gia Lam District, Hanoi, as the mastermind and leader of this ring. The suspects have been trading in counterfeit goods for a long time, causing damage to many consumers and affecting the market for genuine products. Authorities have initiated a case and are continuing to expand the investigation.

Previously, in January 2025, Nam Dan District Police busted a group of people led by Le Tuan Anh (born in 1998), who were trading 1,206 fake Airpods Bluetooth headsets worth about 6 billion VND. These products were sold at phone stores in the province and caused great damage to consumers. On January 25, 2025, after investigation and evidence collection, the Investigation Police Agency of Nam Dan District Police issued a decision to prosecute a criminal case, prosecuting 11 defendants residing in Nghe An, Hai Duong and Ha Tinh provinces for the crime of Trading in counterfeit goods.

In addition to counterfeit goods, many cases related to dirty food have also been discovered and handled. Typically, in April 2025, the Department of Investigation Police on Corruption, Economic Crimes and Smuggling coordinated with the authorities to discover a serious case related to the production of bean sprouts using banned chemicals. Through the investigation, the authorities discovered that the subjects used the growth stimulant "candy water" (6-Benzylaminopurine - 6-BAP) to water the bean sprouts to promote rapid growth, making the product look more eye-catching.

The subjects in this case include Luu Manh Huong (born in 1993), Luu Van Trung (born in 1997), Tran Khac Duy (born in 1990) and Nguyen Van Huong (born in 1998), all residing in Vinh city, who produced and consumed about 3,500 tons of bean sprouts from 2024 until the time of their arrest, causing thousands of consumers to unwittingly consume dirty food.

Authorities quickly investigated, seized the violating exhibits and strictly handled according to the law the acts of producing and consuming dirty food, endangering public health.

Recently, in June 2025, Quynh Van Commune Police (Quynh Luu District) discovered that Tran Van Cong (born in 1990) had collected and transported 400 kg of animal fat of unknown origin that smelled foul. Tran Van Cong confessed to purchasing animal fat from unknown sources and intended to sell it for profit. The police seized and destroyed all of this dirty fat and handled the subject according to the provisions of the law.

The above results show that, in recent times, the Provincial People's Committee and the Steering Committee 389 of Nghe An province have seriously implemented the instructions of the Government and the National Steering Committee 389. Many important directive documents have been issued, creating a solid legal basis for the fight against smuggling, trade fraud and counterfeit goods in the area, contributing to improving the effectiveness of inspection, handling of violations and protecting the legitimate rights of consumers.

However, according to the assessment of representatives of departments and branches at the meeting to review the first 5 months of 2025 of the Provincial Steering Committee against smuggling, trade fraud and counterfeit goods (Provincial Steering Committee 389) on the afternoon of June 6, the fight against counterfeit goods and dirty food in the area still faces many difficulties and challenges.

Violators are not only reckless but also extremely sophisticated, especially in the e-commerce environment - where fake, poor quality goods are carefully disguised, sold on social networks with virtual addresses, transactions do not require face-to-face meetings, and are transported via express delivery services. Many types of shampoo, toothpaste, and food for direct consumption are counterfeited widely, reaching even remote areas, posing a serious threat to public health.

Handling after detection also faces many obstacles. The authorities currently lack facilities to preserve evidence such as food or perishable goods, not to mention those that are flammable or toxic. The conversion to a two-tier local government model also causes difficulties in decentralization and coordination between authorities, affecting the effectiveness of the fight against increasingly complex violations.

At the meeting, Comrade Phung Thanh Vinh - Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, Head of the Provincial Steering Committee 389 stated: In the spirit of "no forbidden areas, no exceptions", it is necessary to strengthen inspection, supervision, and strictly handle violations related to the production and trade of counterfeit and poor quality goods, especially goods that directly affect the health of consumers such as milk, functional foods, medicines, cosmetics, alcohol, fresh food... to create a strong deterrent against violations of the law.

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In particular, it is necessary to clearly identify routes, areas, objects and goods that need to be focused on fighting. Accordingly, the routes identified as hot spots are National Highways 1A, 7, 48, the North-South railway, the land border route through Nam Can, Thanh Thuy, Tam Hop border gates, the sea route through Cua Lo port, the coastal areas of Dien Chau, Quynh Luu.

Key areas include Vinh City, warehouses, wholesale markets, and commodity flow centers. In particular, pay attention to establishments that take advantage of e-commerce to trade in goods of unknown origin, counterfeit goods, and goods that violate food safety regulations.

Regarding the subjects, it is necessary to focus on reviewing the networks, groups, and individuals who specialize in supplying, transporting, and consuming prohibited goods, counterfeit goods, and unsanitary food. Key items include: processed foods, milk, functional foods, medicines, cosmetics, fireworks, cigarettes, fertilizers, pharmaceuticals, clothing, shoes, electronics, etc.

Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Phung Thanh Vinh also requested departments, branches and functional forces to ensure unity and synchronization in detecting and promptly handling violations. At the same time, strengthen propaganda, raise public awareness, not cover up or assist smuggling, counterfeit goods, dirty food, and gradually build a transparent and safe business market for the people.