As the global inoculation drive gains momentum, syndicates are already spoiling this process with plans to distribute fake vaccine doses.
This was the breaking news revealed by Interpol in a statement released on Wednesday.
South Africa under scrutiny for fake vaccine syndicates
The international crime authority was cautious about revealing details on a multinational operation that is still ongoing. However, Interpol confirmed that a syndicate with ties to China, Zambia and South Africa has been crippled by recent arrests.
In China, 3 000 doses of an unknown and unauthorised vaccine were found at a factory in China. From what we understand, 80 suspects were placed under arrest.
Similarly, in Gauteng, three Chinese nationals and a Zambian were nabbed at a warehouse, where police officials discovered 400 ampoules holding an equivalent of about 2 400 doses of a fake vaccine.
Also stored in the warehouse, were three million face masks that Interpol described as “fake”.
“The arrests came just weeks after Interpol issued an Orange Notice warning law enforcement to prepare for organized crime networks targeting COVID-19 vaccines, both physically and online. The alert also included details and images of genuine vaccines and authorized shipping methods provided by pharmaceutical companies to assist in the identification of fake vials,” the anti-crime authority noted.
‘This is only the tip of the iceberg’
These arrests, while necessary to hurt the syndicates’ efforts, have done very little in demotivating crime networks from joining in on the high-earning opportunity presented by the rising need for Covid-19 vaccines around the world.
However, chief to stopping the spread of fake vaccine doses, is collaboration with crime organisations in different member states, Interpol said.
SAPS police spokesperson Brigadier Vish Naidoo concurred, stressing the importance of adopting “an integrated multi-disciplinary law enforcement approach.”
This, together with our association with counterparts from all INTERPOL member countries, is proving to be very effective as we have seen in the arrests for foreign nationals attempting to peddle fake vaccines to unsuspecting people within South Africa,” he said.