Hanoi police have announced the arrest of Hà Quang Phước, 74, and Bùi Thị Tiết, 38, for producing and selling counterfeit medicines. The duo is accused of mixing pain relief medications, including paracetamol, into traditional herbal remedies, packaging them under the label 'family recipe' to sell to patients.

The investigation revealed that since 2024, Phước noticed a decline in sales of traditional medicine due to its slower effects. This prompted him to concoct a mixture of chemical drugs, including paracetamol, to attract more customers. He purchased various medications such as OPHAZIDON, which contains paracetamol, along with other drugs like DEXONE, Prednisolone, and INDOMETHACIN.

These medications were ground into powder and mixed with herbal medicines before being packaged in plastic bags labeled as 'traditional herbal medicine.' Through his connections within the Traditional Medicine Association, Phước met Tiết, whom he trained in the production process.

Tiết was responsible for sourcing herbal ingredients from local ethnic communities, drying them, and grinding them into powder. Phước would then bring the chemical drugs to Tiết's residence to mix according to a specific ratio of 100 grams of herbal medicine to three pain relief tablets. Together, they packaged and labeled these products for sale.

During a search of Phước's residence and workplace, authorities seized 2,772 packets of medicine labeled 'Traditional Herbal Medicine,' claiming to be made from various herbal plants, along with numerous bottles and boxes of modern pharmaceuticals, used drug packaging, and brown powder ingredients. At Tiết's location, officials confiscated 3,000 packets of 'Bách bệnh' traditional herbal medicine, several notebooks detailing their sales activities, labels, plastic bags, thermal sealing machines, and various pharmaceutical products.

The investigation into this case is ongoing, as authorities continue to uncover more products that have been illegally mixed with modern pharmaceuticals by Phước.