PHNOM PENH: Authorities in Kampot province have uncovered a sophisticated rebranding operation, raiding a workshop that was used to repack imported Thai sugar into Vietnamese labelled sacks.
The May 13 operation led to the seized of a large quantity of sugar. Originally contained in bags with Thai lettering, the sugar was being transferred into new bags featuring Vietnamese text, in an apparent attempt to mislead consumers and skirt the current consumer boycott on goods from the neighbouring kingdom.
Kampot provincial governor Mao Thonin led the raid, in Kampong Tnaot village, Koun Sat commune, Tuek Chhou district. While authorities did not specify the precise weight of the seized sugar, photographs from the scene suggest that several tonnes of the sweet stuff were impounded.
“During the course of the operation, joint forces found evidence of illegal activity where the owner of the location surreptitiously changed the original sugar bags, which featured Thai text, and repacked the contents into new bags with Vietnamese text to mislead authorities and misrepresent the source of the goods,” said the provincial administration.
The joint force included representatives of the Provincial Police Headquarters, the Provincial Gendarmerie, the Department of Customs and Excise (GDCE), the Consumer Protection, Competition and Fraud Repression Directorate-General (CCF), the Provincial Department of Commerce, local district authorities and a representative from the provincial court.
The governor reiterated that the authorities will pursue legal action, adding that he ordered the workshop owner to pay his workers’ wages in full before recording their identities and allowing them to return home.
Authorities have ordered the individuals who were at the site to purchase sugar to provide statements, as part of an ongoing investigation to uncover the wider network involved.
A wider investigation is underway to identify the individuals behind the operation. Once they are uncovered, they will be held to account and taste “sweet” justice. - The Phnom Penh Post/ANN
