Raids additionally uncovered disinfectants falsely declared as private protecting tools. (Representational)
Lyon, France:
Police have seized 17,000 pretend COVID-19 testing kits found in raids towards illicit foods and drinks merchandise throughout dozens of nations, Interpol mentioned Wednesday.
Officers seized $40 million (34.5 million euros) price of faux or substandard merchandise in 77 nations, and arrested 407 folks within the operation, carried out from December 2019 to June 2020.
The merchandise included contaminated dairy merchandise, meat from illegally slaughtered animals and meals merchandise falsely labelled as medicinal cures, mentioned Interpol, based mostly within the southeastern French metropolis of Lyon.
However police additionally intercepted hundreds of faux medical merchandise as nations worldwide rushed to safe provides whereas locking right down to curtail the coronavirus pandemic.
“As nations around the globe proceed their efforts to comprise COVID-19, the legal networks distributing these doubtlessly harmful merchandise present solely their dedication to make a revenue,” the company’s secretary basic Jurgen Inventory mentioned in a press release.
In addition to the pretend COVID-19 assessments, the raids uncovered disinfectants and even a cargo of seafood in South Africa, originating from Asia, that was falsely declared as private protecting tools.
“Different illicit merchandise recovered included cosmetics, footwear, clothes, purses, automobile elements, electronics, tobacco and medicines, price an estimated $three.1 million,” Interpol mentioned.
It was the company’s ninth 12 months of coordinated Opson raids towards counterfeit or substandard foods and drinks, which commonly seize hundreds of tons of faux and doubtlessly dangerous merchandise.
(Aside from the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV workers and is revealed from a syndicated feed.)
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