On June 7, the Economic Police Department of the Dak Lak Provincial Police announced the prosecution and arrest of Phan Danh Duong Bao (52, from Ninh Hoa town, Khanh Hoa province) and the prosecution and travel ban on his wife, Ho Thuy Bich Dan (47), for producing and trading counterfeit coffee powder.
Police detain Phan Danh Duong Bao for investigation into production and trading of counterfeit food products. |
According to initial investigations, on May 25, a task force from the Economic Police Department caught Bao and his son delivering 120 kg of coffee powder in 120 plastic bags to a woman in Buon Ma Thuot city, Dak Lak province.
Bao was unable to present invoices or documents verifying the origin of the coffee during the inspection.
Recognizing the potential illegality of the operation, the police summoned involved individuals for questioning and conducted an emergency search of Bao’s production facility in Khanh Hoa province.
Ho Thuy Bich Dan and her husband produced and sold 20 tons of counterfeit coffee powder to the market. |
The authorities seized machinery, equipment, 2 tons of raw materials (soybeans, sugar, coloring, and flavoring agents), and 1,604 bags of various coffee powders, totaling nearly 1 ton.
Bao and Dan admitted to purchasing the machinery and ingredients to produce counterfeit coffee. Their formula consisted of only 3-9 kg of coffee beans, with the remainder being soybeans and additives for color and aroma, yielding 100 kg of fake coffee powder per batch. From the beginning of 2024 until their arrest, the couple had sold over 20 tons of counterfeit coffee powder to provinces like Binh Dinh, Lam Dong, and Dak Lak.
According to the police, the primary formula for the counterfeit coffee powder, mainly composed of burnt soybeans and flavoring agents, can irritate the digestive system and potentially cause liver and kidney damage or even cancer if consumed over an extended period.
The Economic Police Department of Dak Lak Provincial Police is currently expanding their investigation.
Cao Nguyen
– 12:30 07/06/2025
