China Tourists Beware as Fake Condoms Abound
For couples who are working out to become parents, this is not for you. But for those who aren't ready yet to become parents, watch out on those condoms they might be more defective than they ought to be. Specially if it came from China.
Local police officials in China's Fujian province have broken into a fake condom syndicate, arresting 37 people and hauling some 47.7 million yuan (AU$7.8 million) worth of more than 4.6 million fake contraceptives, repackaged under branded names Durex, Contex, and Jissbon.
Police obtained tips and leads to the underground 50-square-foot workshop of fake condoms through Taobao.com, China's largest online marketplace run by Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., where they noticed the condoms were being sold at ridiculously low prices at 1 yuan (AU$0.16)
The owners, which launched their business only in December, said the condoms were bought from a factory in Hebei province while the packaging materials were sourcedfrom a different factory, this time in Guangdong province.
Producing 20,000 fake condoms a day, the owners said their more than 10 staff just puts the condoms in the wrappers. These are then later sold to small supermarkets, adult shops and through online retailers.
According to a report by ABC News, when police barged into the workshop facility, they saw condoms scattered on the floor piled high, with some workers lubricating it by hand with some foul smelling lubricant.
In April, reports came out that Ghana public health authorities impounded more than 1 million substandard fake condoms imported from China.
"When we tested these condoms, we found that they are poor quality, can burst in the course of sexual activity, and have holes which expose the users to unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease," an official from China's Food and Drug Administration told The Guardian.
It was discovered many of the imported fake condoms came from a factory in China's Henan province.