BUKIT MERTAJAM: The Penang Health Department has busted a syndicate illegally manufacturing traditional health products and made seizures totalling about RM24mil.
State health director Datuk Dr Fazilah Shaikh Allaudin said five men, including two foreign nationals, were arrested in raids led by its pharmacy enforcement division assisted by the Inland Revenue Board (LHDN).
"Nineteen premises were inspected and 88,000 items were seized including unregistered traditional medicines, more than 500 packages of raw materials containing scheduled poisons and 36 units of machinery (amongst others)," she said in a press conference in Simpang Ampat here on Monday (Jan 26).
Among the products seized were traditional medicines suspected to contain prohibited substances such as steroids and other listed under the Poisons Act 1952.
"Most were supposed to be used as painkillers to treat conditions such as gout and were sold at RM20 per box," she said.
She said selling unregistered health products is an offence under Regulation 7(1)(a) of the Control of Drugs and Cosmetics Regulations 1984.
Pharmacy enforcement division director Mohd Zawawi Abdullah the syndicate had been operating since 2020 and would move its production factory regularly to avoid detection.
He said among those arrested was a 34-year-old mastermind behind the syndicate while the rest were workers.
Mohd Zawawi said that all 19 raided premises belonged to the same company and that they were searching for the remaining syndicate members.
The public is advised to verify the legality of health products at the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency website at www.npra.gov.my under the product search section https://quest3plus.bpfk.gov.
Complaints or information over the sale of suspicious medicines or health products can be made to the public complaints portal https://jpa.spab.gov.my.
