The global police organization Interpol on Wednesday confiscated thousands of fake doses of the Covid-19 vaccine from the police in China and South Africa.
According to the agency Interpol in Lyon, 400 vials (equivalent to about 2400 doses) of the fake vaccine were found in a warehouse in Germiston outside Johannesburg in South Africa, where officers also received fake masks and arrested three Chinese and a Zambian citizen. has.
In China, police successfully identified a network selling the wrong Covid-19 vaccines in an investigation backed by Interpol, which has 194 member states.
They raided the manufacturing site, leading to the arrest of about 80 suspects and seizing more than 3,000 counterfeit vaccines at the scene.
Interpol earlier this year issued an “Orange Notice” warning authority worldwide to prepare for organized crime networks targeting Covid-19 vaccines, both physically and online.
“While we welcome this outcome, it is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Covid-19 vaccine – related crimes,” said Juergen Stock, Interpol’s secretary general.
Interpol said that in addition to the arrests in South Africa and China, it also received additional reports of false distributions of vaccines and fraudulent attempts at health care facilities such as nursing homes.
It has warned that no approved vaccines are available online.
“Any vaccine advertised on websites or the dark web is not legal, will not be tested and may be dangerous.”
In an interview with the German weekly WirtschaftsWoche in December, Stock warned of a sharp increase in crime due to the vaccination of the vaccine, with thefts and burglaries in warehouses and attacks on vaccines.