Authorities dismantled a ring producing and selling counterfeit perfumes.
The Can Tho City Police Department advises citizens to be vigilant and absolutely not to abet crimes related to counterfeit goods, smuggling, and commercial fraud, especially during the Lunar New Year holiday.
On January 9th, the Can Tho City Police announced that they had successfully collaborated with relevant agencies to dismantle a large-scale ring producing and selling counterfeit perfumes of famous brands in Thanh An commune.
Previously, based on intelligence gathered in the area, on January 6th, the Criminal Investigation Department for Corruption, Economic Crimes, Smuggling, and Environmental Crimes of the Can Tho City Police, in coordination with the Thanh An Commune Police and Market Management Team No. 4 ( thuộc the City Market Management Department), conducted an urgent search of three locations in Phung Quoi A hamlet, Thanh An commune.
These locations were identified as places where counterfeit perfumes bearing famous foreign brands were produced, stockpiled, and sold. This network was directly run by LVH (born in 1973) and his wife VTT (born in 1985).
Colonel Bui Duc An, Deputy Director of the City Police and Head of the Criminal Investigation Agency, was present at the scene to directly supervise the functional forces in conducting searches and taking statements from the suspects.
During the inspection, the task force discovered and seized a large quantity of materials used in the production of counterfeit perfumes. Specifically, authorities confiscated more than 1,200 bottles and boxes of finished perfumes that had been labeled with world-renowned brands such as Coco Chanel, Dior, Allure, Acqua di Gio, Le Labo, etc.
Besides the finished perfumes, the police also seized over 130 liters of pre-mixed perfume solution, along with a large quantity of raw materials and production tools. The confiscated items included 646 kg of packaging boxes, over 12,400 empty perfume bottles, more than 18,000 labels of various types, and 4 specialized machines used for bottling and producing counterfeit perfumes.
Through interrogation, the suspects LVH and VTT admitted to starting the production of counterfeit perfumes in 2020. To conceal their illegal activities, in 2018, LVH established HALOVA Limited Liability Company, with himself as director, registering the business of manufacturing perfumes under various private labels.
However, this company was actually just a "front" for individuals to infiltrate and sell counterfeit perfumes bearing the names of famous brands in order to gain illicit profits.
Regarding their modus operandi, the couple, H and T, purchased bottle caps, packaging, labels, and fragrance chemicals from Kim Bien Market (Ho Chi Minh City) and through social media platforms. Previously, they rented a house in Ba Ria City, Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province (formerly) to directly manufacture the products.
Recently, in order to avoid detection by authorities, the suspects transported all the machinery, equipment, and evidence to three locations: their private residences and relatives' homes in Phung Quoi A hamlet, Thanh An commune, Can Tho city, to continue their operations and sell the products.
The incident is being further investigated by the authorities to clarify the facts and handle it strictly according to the law.
The Can Tho City Police Department advises citizens to be vigilant and absolutely not abet crimes related to counterfeit goods, smuggling, and commercial fraud, especially during the upcoming Lunar New Year.
Consumers should choose products with clear origins and sources, and boldly report violations.
