Indictment of Two Pharmaceutical Company Directors

On August 3, the Quang Ninh Provincial Police announced that the Economic Police Investigation Agency (Economic Police) had just issued decisions to initiate a criminal case and prosecute the defendants. They also conducted urgent searches of the residence and workplace of Dinh Thien Ly (born 1989, residing in Group 94, Area 6, Hong Gai Ward, Quang Ninh Province). Ly is the director and legal representative of Tacopha Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. and the owner of Lacosme Pharma Co., Ltd. The police also prosecuted Dang Thu Trang (born 1992, residing in Duyen Truong Village, Hong Van Ward, Hanoi), director and legal representative of Gold Care High-Tech Pharmaceutical JSC, for “Production and trading of counterfeit food and food additives” as stipulated in Article 193 of the Criminal Code.

The Provincial People’s Procuracy of Quang Ninh Province has approved these procedural decisions and orders.

Previously, through monitoring online activities, the Economic Police detected signs of counterfeit product sales on online channels developed from Facebook and Tiktok platforms. The products in question were functional foods named Hebe Luna, produced and marketed by Tacopha Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. These products were advertised to support the improvement of female hormones and alleviate symptoms such as hot flashes, insomnia, skin aging, dry skin, wrinkles, and decreased libido due to decreased female hormones.

On July 30, the Economic Police inspected and arrested Dinh Thien Ly and Dang Thu Trang, seizing a total of 2,260 boxes of Hebe Luna, 1,840 boxes of Hebe Libifem, 16,608 boxes of Icobe, and 20,218 boxes of Tra Sen Lim tea.

Forensic examination by the Institute of Criminal Science concluded that these products were counterfeit and did not contain the declared ingredients or had significantly lower quantities than stated. Tra Sen Lim tea was found to contain Sibutramine, a substance prohibited in health protection food due to its direct impact on the nervous system.

According to the initial investigation, since the end of 2024, Dinh Thien Ly has been purchasing herbal formulas to produce a functional product named Hebe Luna. According to the product registration with the authorities, Hebe Luna must contain specific herbal ingredients, including 9.5% Curcumin, when sold on the market. Ly then signed a contract with Gold Care, managed by Dang Thu Trang, to organize the production.

To increase profits, Ly intentionally omitted the provision of “9.5% Curcumin,” a mandatory ingredient according to the product declaration. Despite this, Ly still requested the production of 5,000 boxes of Hebe Luna. Trang, fully aware that the raw materials did not meet the standards, agreed to the proposal.

After Gold Care completed the production, from February until the time of their arrest, Ly sold these counterfeit functional foods on the market, earning billions of VND in illegal profits.

The Investigation Agency of Quang Ninh Provincial Police is continuing to expand the investigation and strictly handle related subjects according to the law.