Labors Collecting Expired Cosmetics from Pharmacies and Sell them after Counterfeiting the Expiry Dates, Confiscation of one Million Posters
Further to the efforts of MCI and as a continuation to face all methods of commercial fraud, MCI detected foreign laborers exploited a villa in Al Murabba`a quarter in Riyadh for counterfeiting the expiry dates of cosmetics, detergents and body creams. They used to collect such items from the pharmacies and put a new expiry date, and then they resell them to the consumers. More than 55 thousand packets were seized and the site was closed. Those involved were summoned for investigation and taking the legal measures against them.
MCI Inspection Teams, in cooperation and coordination with the joint security campaigns, confiscated more than a million external posters used to falsify the validity dates of the seized items, in addition to seizing large quantities of tools that were used by labors in obliterating and changing the validity dates of the confiscated items, such as thinner, nail polish remover and others.
The Control Teams detected as well official papers indicating the presence of warehouses within a residential villa in Dammam belonging to the same involved Establishment in Riyadh. Immediately, the necessary coordination with the Control Teams in the Eastern Region had been done to follow up that. Consequently, large quantities of external posters used in falsifying the expiry dates of the goods were confiscated, as well as detecting a wrapping machine that had been used for the same purpose. The statutory procedures were taken against the violators.
It is worth mentioning that MCI had carried out control campaigns during the last period, resulted in detecting labors involved in the storage of large quantities of counterfeit and adulterated consuming commodities within warehouses and homes in the center of Riyadh. Those involved were summoned for investigation and taking the legal measures against them.
This comes within the framework of the ongoing Control Rounds conducted by the Ministry on the shops and warehouses to ensure their regular work, and the absence of fraud practices on the consumers, and to stop exploiting the demand for purchase in selling and marketing any adulterated or counterfeit goods.
MCI emphasizes that it will not tolerate in imposing the legal penalties on violators and those involved in the practice of fraud, and all that puts the health and safety of consumers at risk.
MCI calls on all the consumers to report their complaints and observations to the Control Center in the Ministry on the phone No. 1900.