Chinese police bust massive fake condom gang

Chinese police have seized $7m-worth of counterfeit Durex, Okamoto and other condom brands destined for supply to retail outlets, hotels and vending machine operators.

The authorities seized 500,000 boxes of condoms and detained 17 people during the operation in eastern China, according to a Business Insider report which cites Chinese television broadcaster Zheijiang. Police said the counterfeits posed a threat to public health, and were being sold to wholesalers for just 1 yuan (14 cents) per pack, a fraction of the typical 20-150 yuan cost.

Counterfeit condoms are typically made of inferior quality materials and do not undergo the same rigorous quality control checks as legitimate products, which raises the risk of allergic and other reactions, unwanted pregnancies and infections among users. They can also be made in unsanitary conditions and some may be recycled from used condoms.

Fakes are a big problem in China, and the latest seizure follows another operation earlier this year that uncovered 2m packaged condoms mimicking Durex, Jissbon and other brands. It is though the counterfeits are widely distributed online and also end up being exported to other markets including the US and Europe.

In the latest case, the operation uncovered ‘crude’ manufacturing units in Henan and Hubei provinces, where the condoms were mixed with silicon oil in a bucket, as well as a packaging facility in Cangnan, Zhejiang. Fake packaging for Durex, Okamoto, Jissbon and SixSex brands was also discovered.