Lanzhou Police Bust Online Ring Selling Weight-Loss Coffee Laced with Banned Substance
The case unfolded from a tip-off by a man named Zhang Xiaoming, from Lanzhou City. Mr. Zhang wanted to lose weight but lacked time to exercise, so he purchased “weight-loss coffee” with high sales volume from an e-commerce platform. He was attracted by the seller’s claims of “noticeable weight loss” and “no need for exercise or dieting.”
However, after consuming this coffee, Mr. Zhang experienced symptoms such as a rapid heartbeat, anxiety, and vomiting. He sought medical attention and was diagnosed with sibutramine poisoning. Sibutramine is a central nervous system suppressant that can be harmful to health and is banned from use in food products in many countries.
Following his diagnosis and successful treatment, Mr. Zhang immediately reported the incident to the Lanzhou City Police Department.
Based on the shipping information provided by Mr. Zhang, the authorities traced and located the address of the “weight-loss coffee” seller, Liu Yan.
A search of Liu’s apartment led to the discovery and seizure of a large quantity of “weight-loss coffee” packets, along with packaging machines, label printers, boxes, and fake labels.
Testing of 18 different coffee samples from the apartment confirmed the presence of sibutramine.
Lanzhou Police seize “weight-loss coffee” containing sibutramine. (Photo: Xinhuanet)
Liu Yan confessed to packaging and shipping the products based on information provided by his “superiors.” Further investigation led to the identification of three suspects: Huo Xiao, Wu Han, and Wang Ling.
The trio admitted that, since April 2024, they had used the identities of acquaintances to register 22 online shops on an e-commerce platform and hired personnel to package the “weight-loss coffee.”
Investigator Ma Zhiyu, deputy captain of the investigation team, revealed that the suspects purchased sibutramine, mixed it into the coffee, packaged it, and shipped it to Lanzhou and other locations. At each site, they would hire people to pack and ship orders placed on the e-commerce platform.
The police successfully busted six production and consumption rings of sibutramine-laced coffee, sealed three warehouses and a transit warehouse, arrested 36 suspects, and investigated numerous related individuals. They also seized over 130,000 packets of the harmful coffee before they could be consumed.
Police seize evidence at the scene. (Photo: Xinhuanet)
Investigator Hu Zaixing from the investigation team shared, “To make huge profits, the suspects rented and set up packaging and production warehouses in remote villages and towns. They then transported the goods to the homes of packers and online sellers.”
The suspects used private messaging software to communicate, deleting messages after reading them to avoid detection. Additionally, to bypass inspections, some express delivery packages were labeled as “toys” instead of “coffee,” according to Investigator Hu Zaixing.
Each box of “weight-loss coffee” contained 20-25 packets and was priced at 25-50 RMB (approximately $3.60-$7.20). According to the suspects’ confessions, during peak seasons, monthly sales from a single online shop could exceed 1 million RMB (approximately $144,000), with profit margins surpassing 80%. The investigation revealed that their online shops sold over 90,000 orders of “weight-loss coffee” across 28 provinces and cities in China, with the total case value exceeding 15 million RMB (approximately $2.16 million).
The suspects made illicit profits of tens of billions of dong by selling “weight-loss coffee.” (Photo: Xinhuanet)
The Dangers of Sibutramine
Dr. Liu Yong, a clinical nutrition expert at the First Affiliated Hospital of Lanzhou University, stated, “Long-term use of sibutramine can have detrimental effects on the body. Some of the adverse effects include high blood pressure, insomnia, anxiety, rapid heart rate, headaches, seizures, nausea, vomiting, and other dangerous complications such as stroke, cardiac arrest, brain damage, liver failure, and kidney failure.”
Dr. Liu Yong emphasized, “There is no food that can lead to rapid weight loss. Therefore, individuals should not blindly trust advertisements for ‘rapid weight-loss products’ on social media. To lose weight safely, one should adopt a healthy diet and engage in appropriate physical activities.”
According to Xinhuanet
