The international police agency says 400 ampoules containing a fake vaccine were found in a warehouse outside the South African capital Johannesburg.
Security officials in China and South Africa have seized thousands of counterfeit doses of the coronavirus vaccine, the global police agency Interpol revealed on Wednesday.
International police said in a statement that 400 ampoules, equivalent to about 2,400 doses containing the counterfeit vaccine, were found in a warehouse in Germiston, outside Johannesburg, South Africa, where officers recovered and fake masks and arrested three Chinese nationals and one Zambian national.
“Since COVID-19 reached the shores of South Africa, the government has taken an integrated approach to law enforcement,” said Brigadier Vish Naidoo, a spokesman for the South African national police, according to the Interpol statement.
“This, together with our association with counterparts from all Interpol member countries, is proving to be very effective, as we have seen in arrests of foreign nationals trying to sell counterfeit vaccines to unsuspecting people in South Africa.”
In China, police successfully identified a sales network for counterfeit COVID-19 vaccines in an investigation by Interpol, which has 194 member states, he said.
Police raided the production premises, arresting about 80 suspects and confiscating more than 3,000 fake vaccines on the spot, he said.
“The Chinese government attaches great importance to vaccine safety. Chinese police are conducting a specific campaign to prevent and crack down on vaccine-related crime, ”said a spokesman for the Chinese Ministry of Public Security.
‘The tip of the iceberg’
Interpol launched an “Orange Notification” earlier this year, warning authorities around the world to prepare for organized crime networks targeting COVID-19 vaccines, both physically and online.
“While we welcome this result, this is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to COVID-19 vaccine offenses,” said Interpol Secretary General Juergen Stock.
Interpol said it was also receiving additional reports of the fake distribution of the vaccine to nursing homes.
“Approved vaccines are not currently available for sale online. Any vaccine advertised on websites or on the dark web will not be legitimate, will not be tested and can be dangerous, “the statement said.
“Anyone who buys these drugs puts themselves in danger and gives their money to organized criminals.”
Stock warned in December in an interview with the German weekly Wirtschafts Woche about a sharp rise in crime due to the launch of vaccines, with theft and burglary of warehouses and attacks on vaccine shipments.