Chinese authorities busted a counterfeit-condom ring running probably one of the most unique salvage operations that you can buy perhaps. The gang made US $7 million recycling used condoms and selling them as not used to hotels and supermarkets.
Police seized 500,000 boxes of counterfeit Durex condoms, filled with matching fake branded boxes, from workshops in three Chinese provinces. Seventeen individuals were arrested in Hebei, Henan, and Zhejiang after cops were tipped off a local businessman was selling condoms for suspiciously low prices.
“The hygienic conditions in those villages were very bad. The condoms were seen by us these were making – they blended the condoms with silicone oil in a bucket. It had been totally below official manufacturing standards,” said Cangnan police chief Zheng Xidan. The phony rubbers were manufactured in Hubei and Henan provinces, then packaged in Zhejiang, in accordance with authorities.
While the fakes were found to contain fungi, thin patches, and holes, retailers apparently couldn’t resist a bargain – these were sold by the gang wholesale for 14 cents per pack, a bargain in comparison to US $22 for genuine.
Condom counterfeiting is really a big business in China and apparently; a lot more than 10 similar cases have passed through Henan courts since 2014. The defendants who’ve been found guilty have obtained sentences as high as four years. February in, police seized two million phony Okamoto and Durex brand condoms in Yuncheng in neighboring Shanxi province.
In 2015, Shanghai police seized three million condoms thought to be worth US$1.67 million and found they contained toxic metals. The condoms that have been for sale under popular brands including Durex, were manufactured for 1 cent by way of a criminal network operating across eight provinces apiece. Tuesday unlike the ring busted, however, these fakers sold their product at a high price on their online store, calling customers on social media marketing.
Chinese knockoff condoms aren’t only a problem for the Chinese unfortunately. US customs authorities seized 40,000 Chinese-manufactured counterfeit condoms in San Juan, Puerto Rico last March. Chinese-made fakes have resulted in in Ghana also.