Young partying expats beware: millions of fake condoms have flooded the market in Shanghai, putting people’s health at risk.
Shanghai police have busted a counterfeit ring that sold shoddily-made condoms passed off as popular name brand names like Durex and Jissbon, arresting nine and seizing over three million fake condoms worth RMB 12 million ($1.9 million).
The fake rubbers were sold in Shanghai, Henan, Anhui, Zhejiang, Hubei, Guangdong, Jiangsu and Shaanxi. Besides the retail market, a main distributor for the fake condoms were suppliers for small inns and hotels throughout the country.
Shanghai Yangpu police say the investigation into the counterfeit ring began last May when a woman named Li was reported to be buying raw materials in bulk. It turned out Li was manufacturing condoms in vast numbers in a local residential flat and selling them to wholesalers online, packaging them as brand name products.
Zhang Wenliang of the Yangpu Police sub-bureau explained there was a lot of money to be made. “Li was arrested in 2013 for selling fake Viagra, but continued these illegal operations because she was making profits of ten times her costs. Each fake Durex condom costs 0.10 to 0.15 yuan to make, and has a wholesale price of 0.20 to 0.30 yuan. But this woman would sell them at a retail price of three yuan.”
After busting a small-scale Henan assembly line, Zhang explained just how dangerous these fake condoms are: “The quality of these products is extremely cheap; the smell of the lubricating oil is especially nauseating. The seized condoms have undergone testing and been determined to contain heavy metals. They pose a serious risk to human health.The seized condoms have undergone testing and been determined to contain heavy metals. They pose a serious risk to human health.“
