Chinese national Bai Jifu, 54, and Thai national Pennapha Srathonghan, 36, were arrested at a house on Phra Metta Rd in Patong at 3:30pm yesterday (Mar 2).
The pair were found in possession of 55 boxes of Lianhua Qingwen capsules with 24 capsules per box, totalling 1,320 capsules, and 146 boxes with 36 capsules per box, giving another 5,256 capsules seized.
The officers, led by Maj Suvisit Khirirak, also seized an iPhone X and an Oppo A54 as well as 18 packs of Nanjing brand cigarettes and 25 packs of Hongtashan brand cigarettes, from China.
Both were taken to Patong Police Station and charged with jointly selling regulated medicine without a permit, selling regulated medicines that are not registered as drug formulas, selling herbal products without a permit, advertising herbal products or the benefits of herbal products without a license and jointly hiding and selling items that have not been imported via the Customs Department
Also arrested yesterday, at 4:10pm, was Chinese national Yang Ligin, 36, at a house at the Phuket Villa Suanluang housing estate in Wichit.
Yang was found in possession of 74 boxes of Lianhua Qingwen capsules, with 24 capsules per box, giving a total of 1,776 capsules seized.
Yang was taken to Wichit Police Station and charged under Section 246 of the Customs Act 2017, which stipulates that it is an offence to assist in hiding goods that were imported into the country without having passed through Customs formalities.
Lianhua Qingwen capsules have been approved by the Thailand Food & Drug Administration for sale within the country, but the capsules must be sold by a registered pharmacy and must be imported only by Inway Group Co Ltd.
The Chinese government has approved the medicine to be used, promoted and exported as a treatment for COVID-19.
However, the Thai FDA has specifically warned that the medicine in Thailand has been approved for the treatment of fever and other symptoms of cold or influenza only, but not specifically for treatment of COVID-19.
Ash Ward | 03 March 2022 - 16:14:13