Police nail Botox smugglers, unlicensed cosmetic clinics
Shanghai police raid the residence of one of the suspects.
Over 40 suspects have been caught for allegedly smuggling cosmetic drugs from abroad and running cosmetic clinics without licenses, Shanghai police said on Thursday.
Over 60 such illegal clinics have been busted since April this year in a crackdown carried out by the police and market inspectors.
During their raids, police seized 147,000 units of smuggled Botox, Hyaluronic Acid (HA) and other medicinal cosmetic products, as well as syringes for injection.
Among the suspects were two women surnamed Qian and Wu who allegedly led two smuggling rings.
Qian, who ran a beauty salon, got into contact with some people from Guangdong and Hebei provinces as well as from abroad who claimed to be selling smuggled medicinal cosmetic products, placed orders with them and then sold the products at her online shop, police said.
She allegedly sold over 200,000 of the products within a year for over 34 million yuan (US$4.8 million), while the other gang led by Wu operated in the same way and sold illegal products for over 30 million yuan.
The suspects raked in huge profits from the illegal business. For example, Qian purchased one HA product at 830 yuan each, but sold it at 2,400 yuan to buyers, according to the police.
The products were mostly sold to unlicensed cosmetic clinics and salons, which illegally provided injections of the products.
One such nail salon was run by a woman surnamed Wang, who was also one of the suspects caught.
Wang worked as a nurse before starting her own business and has no qualification as a doctor of cosmetic medicine. She told the police that her customers had no idea that injection in cosmetic medicine is different from intramuscular injection and trusted her due to her medical background.
According to China’s criminal law, people who illegally sell medicines for over 100,000 yuan, or medical appliances for over 50,000 yuan, shall face criminal charges; those who make less shall face punishments handed down from the health commission or market inspectors.
Medicinal cosmetic products are usually smuggled into China by individuals who are paid for the service or via international mail packages, police said.
A police officer talks to the press about some of the seized smuggled products on Thursday.
Cheaper but dangerous
There are 307 licensed cosmetic clinics in Shanghai at the moment, and a full list can be found on the website of the city’s health commission, according to the police.
Yu Meng, an official with the food and drug crime investigation squad of the economic crime police, said customers who seek medical services from unqualified businesses or individuals are usually drawn by lower prices.
“They are often charged 20 to 30 percent less than injections done at hospitals or clinics with licenses, and one injection could cost up to about 10,000 yuan at legal services,” he said.
Also, in some cases, the illegal services falsely advertised that they have professionals to perform the injections, he added.
In fact, some of these “professionals” have studied only three to seven days at classes held often at residential complexes or office buildings, Yu said.
Police in Shanghai receive over 1,000 reports of disputes over medicinal cosmetic issues via their emergency call 110 every year, they said.
Moreover, smuggled Botox can be dangerous to people’s health as those products are supposed to be kept at a low temperature, while the smuggling process often can’t ensure safe conditions, Yu said.
Liu Danhua, an official with the law enforcement squad of the Shanghai Market Regulation Administration, said her agency will continue to work with the police to crack down on illegal cosmetic clinics in the city.
“We take clues from informers and the public and will step up the on-spot inspections,” she said.
