Entering ChinaMany popular online streamers with over one million followers have been subject to criminal compulsory measures! “Extensively selling toxic and harmful weight-loss foods nationwide”
Recently, the Market Supervision and Administration Bureau of Haidian District, Beijing, in collaboration with the police, cracked a case involving toxic weight-loss food. It is reported that the involved gang sold the “weight-loss miracle drug” containing the prohibited ingredient “buthiazine” through a “internet celebrity” with millions of followers, who conducted live-stream sales. As a result, consumers experienced symptoms such as vomiting and intestinal cramps.
At present, the police have detained 32 people criminally, shut down 15 live-streaming rooms, and seized over 70,000 units of the problematic weight-loss products.
Recently, several popular online hosts with millions of followers have been selling “weight loss miracle drugs” that contain illegal and prohibited ingredients “buthiazine”. Beijing News Radio recently disclosed that one of the products included was a “Honey Pinky·Magic Yam Magic Bean Herbal Fruit and Vegetable Chewable Candy”, which has drawn public attention.
On the midday of February 20th, on a certain platform, the wholesale price of “Honey Pinky · Magic Bean and Grass-Based Fruit and Vegetable Pressed Candy” was from 1 yuan to 3 yuan per box. It was found that 7 stores were selling this product, with the highest sales volume exceeding “900 pieces”. Some stores indicated that the inventory of this product was “15,370 boxes”.
On a certain platform, the price of this product is set at 5 to 8 yuan per box. There are over ten stores selling it. Among them, one store indicates that “527 items have been snapped up”. Besides, on other platforms, there are also stores selling this product.
According to the Beijing News Broadcast earlier, the Haidian District Market Supervision and Administration Bureau received a report from consumers, saying that a number of anchors on a platform sold “konjac magic bean herbal fruit and vegetable tablet candy” and other foods claiming to have weight loss effects, and consumers experienced uncomfortable symptoms such as dry mouth, vomiting, increased urination, and gastrointestinal cramps after online shopping and eating. Subsequently, the Haidian District Market Supervision and Administration Bureau launched an investigation into the relevant anchors with goods and sent the products for inspection.
After investigation, it was found that these so-called “weight loss miracle drugs” all contained “buthiazide”. As a thiazide diuretic drug, “buthiazide” is often used to treat hypertension and edema, but improper use will cause a lot of dehydration, and long-term use will lead to serious health problems, such as electrolyte disorders, lipid metabolism disorders, inhibition of insulin secretion and other adverse reactions.
After organizing relevant experts to demonstrate the nature and harmfulness of “buthiazide”, the Beijing Market Supervision Comprehensive Law Enforcement Corps finally defined “buthiazide” as a toxic and harmful non-food raw material, and the behavior of the relevant “Internet celebrity” anchors was also suspected of constituting the crime of selling toxic and harmful food. After fixing the relevant evidence, the Haidian District Market Supervision Bureau transferred the case to the Haidian police and set up a joint task force to investigate.
The Haidian District Market Supervision Bureau and the police seized the problematic weight loss products. Photo courtesy of Haidian District Market Supervision Bureau
The investigators found that this is a criminal organization that takes “Internet celebrity” anchors as the core of sales, exaggerates propaganda through live broadcast platforms, colludes with upstream illegal manufacturers, and widely sells toxic and harmful weight loss foods across the country to seek huge illegal profits. In November 2024, the task force will simultaneously close the network in 11 cities in 8 provinces including Jiangsu, Guangzhou, Anhui, Hubei, Shandong, and Tianjin, and the police will take criminal coercive measures against 32 criminal suspects, including many “Internet celebrity” anchors with millions of fans, shut down 15 live broadcast rooms, and seized more than 70,000 problematic weight loss products. At present, the case is under further investigation.
