A Jiangsu couple caught selling fake Viagra, that contained mainly MSG (monosodium glutamate), have been arrested. This family business that reportedly made upwards of ￥30,000 a day, was mainly operated by the wife who was responsible for receiving orders, while the husband was responsible for shipment and delivery.
Police overturned a room here in Nanjing where the couple had housed hundreds of unopened parcels, which upon being opened by authorities revealed more than 40,000 fake Viagra tablets.
In the investigation, officers from the Nanjing police travelled across the country, to far away Sichuan, Hunan and Liaoning provinces. Finally, Wu Lao Village police station of Nanjing Qinhuai Public Security Bureau’s commanding officer, Zhao Xin, introduced to reporters the unopened packages of fake viagra and explained that this incident has revealed an entire industry chain that spans the three provinces.
This latest arrest raises awareness of how booming the market is for aphrodisiac products.
It is estimated that a quarter of Chinese men suffer from erectile dysfunction; making sexual enhancement medications highly sought after and largely profitable products. Just last August, the police conducted a 2-month long investigation in Nanjing’s Gaochun District, that resulted in the arrests of 25 suspects believed to be selling counterfeit Viagra. This past March saw a rise in counterfeit Viagra sales, that resulted in side effects such as headaches and nausea to damaging liver failure and even death.
Zhao Xin, commander of the Wu Lao Village police station stated, “These drugs have been identified by the Food and Drug Administration to contain toxic and harmful ingredients such as sildenafil, and there are no production approvals”, reports Shanghai Publication, The Paper.
The stigma surrounding erectile dysfunction around the world often leads to men to go to concerning lengths, outside professional medical advice, in order to enhance their performance. In Peru, men eat Maca, a root plant found in the Andes. To boost their sex drive, men in Vietnam use the bile of a bear as treatment for liver and gall bladder issues that are believed by locals to weaken sexual performance.
The Chinese Food and Drug Administration has continued to issue notices warning consumers of the dangers of purchasing medications online without medical consultation, to aid the country’s crackdown on fake sexual enhancement drugs. Presently, gang members are being detained by authorities for allegedly producing such drugs.
