Woman and radio station
A large amount of fake or illegal medicine has been seized after a series of raids in Khon Kaen recently - and the operators of an unlicensed radio station that advertised the drugs are facing legal action.
The medicines were found to have been produced without a licence, or sold using fake labels indicating certification by the Food and Drugs Administration, according to FDA agents who conducted the raids with police.
The drugs included popular brands used by locals, such as M Gold plus 999, AG 2008 and B Beau Lady. FDA agents said the fake medicines contained a high level of steroids that could cause heart failure or stomach punctures.
Other brands sold illegally had authentic FDA labels, but many others were made by illegal drug manufacturers. Some 200 large cardboard boxes of medicine, worth around Bt1 million, were confiscated.
A woman at a warehouse on the day the raids were conducted was the only suspect. She was charged with four FDA-regulated offences. If convicted, she faces up to life in jail, plus a fine of up to Bt50,000.
At an FDA press conference in Bangkok, Supinya Klangnarong, a National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission member, said the radio station, on frequency FM95.40 megahertz, was ordered to close down. Operators also face charges for violating several NBTC regulations, such as advertising medicines without a licence, which carries a maximum fine of Bt100,000.
