A gang of 17 pirates was arrested. They are accused of having imitated the condoms, inter alia, with international brand names such as Durex and Okamoto, as the security authorities of the eastern Chinese city Wenzhou announced. The contraceptives were sold to supermarkets, vending machines and hotels, according to Zhejiang Province Television.
The police described the quality of the condoms as „very simple and crude“. The value of the seized condom was stated at the equivalent of 6.3 million euros. Most of the contraceptives were manufactured in Henan and Hubei provinces and a packing company in Zhejiang Province was also searched.
„The hygienic conditions in these villages were very bad,“ said a police officer. „It was far below official production standards.“ The pirated copies were also sold to retailers under Chinese brands such as Jissbon and SixSex for one yuan (12 cents), although the real overcoats cost between 20 and 150 yuan ($ 2.50 and $ 15) per box.
Condoms are among the products that are most frequently faked in China. In February, two million pirated copies were secured in Shanxi Province. Since 2014, courts in Henan Province have negotiated more than ten similar cases. The product pirates received up to four years in prison.
