Booby trap! Police raid fake silicone factory in Suphan Buri
Police recently raided an unlicensed silicone factory in Suphan Buri and seized more than a 3.5-million-baht worth of silicone meant for plastic surgery.
Suphan Buri police along with officials from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) called a press conference on Friday to provide details on the crackdown.
Officials were acting on a tip-off that a former rice mill in Si Prachan district had been converted into a factory to produce silicone for plastic surgery that was supplied to many aesthetic clinics.
In the crackdown on Tuesday, police said they found more than 1,100 pieces of nose and forehead silicone inserts, as well as 43 blocks of silicone that could be used to make up to 43,000 items. The confiscated products were valued at more than 3.5 million baht. They also confiscated five silicone casting machines and 68 moulds.
Police arrested the owner, Natpaphas (last name withheld), 32, on the charge of manufacturing medical supplies without a licence.
The suspect reportedly confessed that she previously worked as a sales representative for a company supplying silicone products to aesthetic clinics, and used her knowledge to open the factory about two years ago. She has three people in her employ.
Natpaphas was reported as saying that she supplied as many as 5,000 to 10,000 pieces of silicone monthly to well-known aesthetic clinics in Bangkok and other provinces.
FDA secretary-general Dr Paisarn Dunkum, meanwhile, warned that using substandard silicone can cause inflammation and infections, as he urged all aesthetic clinics to only use products from licensed manufacturers.
