DEPUTY Prime Minister and Commerce Minister Jurin Laksanavisit said the export of 80 million used nitrile gloves to the US as reported by CNN is being investigated with this being the result of huge demand for the product after Covid-19 pandemic swept the world which gave criminals an opportunity to fill the need, Sanook.com said this afternoon (Oct. 25).
In its months-long investigation CNN discovered that tens of millions of counterfeit and second-hand nitrile gloves have reached the United States, according to import records and distributors who bought the gloves — and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
Criminal investigations are underway by the authorities in the US and Thailand.
Read CNN article: CNN Investigation: Tens of millions of filthy, used medical gloves imported into the US
The 80 million used nitrile gloves Jurin referred to is the amount that Thai company Paddy the Room shipped to the US in 28 containers after Louis Ziskin, CEO of American company AirQueen, sent a written warning to the Customs and Border Protection on February 28 this year.
While confirming that investigation is underway Jurin said this issue is not the direct responsibility of his ministry with it possibly being linked to the Food and Drug Administration and the Public Health Ministry.
Therefore coordination with relevant agencies is necessary to further investigate the criminal activity.
CAPTIONS:
Top: Piles of dirty, suspected second-hand nitrile gloves were found in a raid on a warehouse in Bangkok, December 2020. The Thai FDA said fraudulent companies package gloves like these for resale around the world. Photo: CNN
Home Page: Nitrile gloves shipped to the US by Thai company Paddy the Room Trading Company. These examples, seen by CNN, show clear signs of previous use — hand-writing in pen and other soiling. Photo: CNN
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