A group selling fake dietary supplements on Shopee was sentenced to 46 years in prison

On August 18, Hieu from Tan Dong commune was sentenced to 16 years in prison by the People's Court of Tay Ninh province for trafficking in counterfeit food products. For the same crime, Hieu's wife Nguyen Thi Hao, 26 years old, and her cousin To Hanh Nhi, 25 years old, each received 15 years in prison.

According to the indictment, Hieu invited his wife and Nhi to sell fake goods on Shopee to make a profit. Through social networks, Hieu and his wife bought fake products produced by Hoang Thi Hien from green tea powder and wheat flour.

Some products, in addition to fake packaging, also have "anti-counterfeit" stamps to trick consumers. All three agreed to set up 20 stores on Shoppe. They then create their own comments and good reviews about the product; Create "virtual" orders to increase sales.

The investigation agency determined that from November 2023 to November 2024, this group illegally profited 2.4 billion VND through selling fake goods on e-commerce stores. Of which, Hieu and his wife collected more than 2.3 billion VND.

Regarding the case, Hien was determined to have produced counterfeit goods to sell to 3 defendants. However, this act occurred in Ho Chi Minh City, so Hien was prosecuted and handled by the Police Investigation Agency of Ho Chi Minh City Police in another case.