In India, the authorities are fighting against the manufacture and resale of adulterated gel. In France, the police seized several non-compliant gels.
A pandemic does not stop trafficking. For the past few weeks, hydroalcoholic gel or mask scams have been feeding the news pages of newspapers. France is not the only country concerned, in India, the police are fighting against the production of adulterated hydroalcoholic gel. The show’s reporters Further investigation on France 2 investigated these channels.
Gel made illegally in India
In the report, broadcast on May 14, 2020, journalists follow an inspector from the Indian Ministry of Health’s drug department at a company in the northeast of the country. The official suspects her of making hydroalcoholic gel, without having the necessary authorizations.
On site, he discovers production conditions far removed from the required health standards. There is no decontamination airlock, although it is mandatory to manufacture these products, the basins used are not sterilized, the tanks are simply placed on the ground and the workers do not wear gloves or overalls or of boots.
The two brothers at the head of the company explain that they started producing hydroalcoholic gel when they saw that there was a strong demand linked to the coronavirus. They do not have the authorization allowing them to manufacture these products, but false documents affirming that they respect the international standards, in particular the European certification. The adulterated gel was certainly to be exported to the European Union. The goods were seized by the police, either 3,500 cans worth nearly €11,000.
This Indian company is not the only one to benefit from the epidemic. Between March 3 and 10, 2020, Europol organized a massive operation against counterfeit medical goods in 90 countries. It made it possible to seize 4.4 million prohibited products.
Several arrests in France
In France, the authorities are also fighting against counterfeits. On March 18, the police headquarters announced that it had seized 240 bottles of fake hydroalcoholic gels and 15,490 masks intended for the black market in a shop on the 19and district of Paris.
Today, thanks to the vigilance and reporting of agents of the City of @Paristhe ????♀️????of the @prefpolice intervened in a shop in the 19th arrondissement to seize:
➡️15,490 protective masks for the black market
➡️240 bottles of fake hydroalcoholic gel pic.twitter.com/BFlh5PVtDP— Prefecture of Police (@prefpolice) March 18, 2020
In Nice, a pharmacist was arrested for illegally selling non-compliant masks and hydroalcoholic gel. “Her gel is not poison, but the way to do it is not correct, she herself recognizes itsaid his lawyer, Laurent Terrazzoni to France info. It is the lack of labeling and information that has been sanctioned: it has not been demonstrated that its gel was not good.”
[#COVID19 ]#Interpellation pharmacist who illegally sold non-compliant masks and hydroalcoholic gel.
➡️ Seizure of more than 75 hydroalcoholic gel bottles and a hundred masks.
➡️ Police custody – Justice presentation
???? #goodjob Departmental Security @PoliceNat06 pic.twitter.com/5jvfVPHXb5– National Police 06 (@PoliceNat06) March 26, 2020
Individuals have also resold non-compliant products. France 3 Hauts-de-France relates that a man was arrested in the Oise for trafficking in expired gels and masks. The 50-year-old had put up for sale on the resale site between individuals Le Bon Coin, more than 94 bottles of expired hydroalcoholic solution and nearly 10,000 masks.
The gels and solutions are governed by standard NF EN14476, detailed on the site from the Medicines Safety Agency: hydroalcoholic products must have an alcohol concentration of between 60 and 70%. Since May 31, hydroalcoholic gels and solutions must mention this concentration on their label. If you have to get one, be careful!
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