[ad_1]
Police in China and South Africa have seized thousands of fake doses of the Covid-19 vaccine, global police organization Interpol said on Wednesday, warning that this represented only the “tip of the iceberg” in related crime. vaccines.
Lyon’s Interpol agency said 400 vials – equivalent to around 2,400 doses – containing the fake vaccine were found in a warehouse in Germiston near Johannesburg in South Africa, where officers also recovered fake masks and arrested three nationals Chinese and a Zambian national.
In China, police managed to identify a network selling counterfeit Covid-19 vaccines as part of an investigation backed by Interpol, which has 194 member countries, he said.
They raided the manufacturing premises, resulting in the arrest of around 80 suspects and seized more than 3,000 fake vaccines at the scene, he said.
Interpol earlier this year issued an ‘orange notice’ to authorities around the world to prepare for organized crime networks targeting Covid-19 vaccines, both physically and online.
“While we welcome this result, it is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to crime related to the Covid-19 vaccine,” said Interpol Secretary General Juergen Stock.
Interpol said in addition to arrests in South Africa and China, it was also receiving additional reports of fake vaccine distribution and attempted scams targeting health organizations such as nursing homes.
He warned that no approved vaccine was available for sale online.
“Any vaccine advertised on websites or on the dark web will not be legitimate, will not have been tested, and may be dangerous.”
Stock had warned in December in an interview with the German weekly WirtschaftsWoche of a sharp increase in crime due to the deployment of vaccines, with thefts, break-ins in warehouses and attacks on vaccine shipments.
Source link
