Gang taken down for producing fake Loctite
Suspects are held at a factory in Yantai city, Shandong Province, on December 12.
A total of 103 suspects have been caught for allegedly producing and selling fake adhesive products under the German brand name Loctite, Shanghai police said on Tuesday.
The authentic counterparts of the fakes sold and seized by police during their raids were valued at 50 million yuan (US$7 million), according to authorities.
Police in the Pudong New Area said they started investigation in April after the German owners of the Loctite brand informed them that many fake Loctite adhesive products were being sold in the country. The company’s adhesives are mostly used in industrial applications.
Through their investigation, police found that the fake adhesives in question were being produced in Yantai City, Shandong Province.
A group of suspects, headed by a man surnamed Du, allegedly operated their factory only 1 kilometer away from an authentic Loctite plant. Du had previously done quality inspections for Loctite, according to police.
The gang advertised their fake products as “highly identical products to the authentic” and sold them in authentic packaging, police said.
Another group of suspects, led by a man surnamed Fu, allegedly recycled used Loctite packaging and also printed fake ones.
Other suspects, located around the country, allegedly purchased the fake products and packaging from Du and Fu to create and sell their own knockoffs.
Police said the fake products were sold at 50 to 80 percent of the prices of their authentic counterparts.
Police rounded up the suspects on December 12 in 25 locations, including five factories where the fake products were made.
Currently, 98 of the suspects have been detained and five have been put on bail.
