Thai authorities recently busted a cross-border sales network involved in live-streaming sales of counterfeit and substandard cosmetics, food supplements, and dangerous goods originating from China. The authorities seized illegal products worth around 46.2 billion Thai Baht (approximately 1.3 billion USD) in this operation.
According to various mainstream media outlets in Thailand, authorities conducted raids from February 18 to 28 in warehouses in Pathum Thani, Samut Prakan, and Bangkok, uncovering an unregulated live-streaming supply chain from China.
Nearly 500,000 non-compliant products across 107 product categories were seized in this operation, including skincare creams, shampoos, instant hotpot ingredients, and medical equipment. Many of these items lacked Thai standard labels, raising concerns about safety and quality.
Pattanasak Bubphasuwan, Major General in charge of the Consumer Protection Police Division (PCPD), stated, “We found a large number of substandard products being sold through live streams, prompting us to take immediate action.” All confiscated items have been handed over to the PCPD for further investigation and legal proceedings.
The distribution network uncovered in this raid is highly organized, relying on multiple live-streaming platforms and online stores, with one warehouse processing up to 2,000 orders daily.
Investigations revealed that all seized goods came from China, with some products having labels generated through machine translations and lacking Thai labeling. Authorities will further investigate the masterminds behind this live-streaming supply chain.
Lertchai Lertwut, Deputy Secretary-General of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), cautioned consumers to beware of extremely low-priced counterfeit health and beauty products on live-streaming platforms.
He advised, “Please verify the seller’s identity and check if the products have proper licenses and labels.”
Authorities have pledged to thoroughly investigate the matter, with suspects potentially facing violations of the Cosmetics Act, Food Act, Hazardous Substances Act, and Medical Device Act, leading to hefty fines and imprisonment.
The public can report any related information by calling the PCPD hotline at 1135 or the FDA hotline at 1556, or by submitting complaints through the official FDA LINE account @FDAThai.