Do fake Covid-19 vaccine arrests in China herald global crime wave?

Interpol warns criminals are trying to scale up trade in counterfeit jabs across the world

Scams include dark web sales and criminals selling genuine vials to be filled with harmless or potentially dangerous substances

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Fake Covid-19 vaccines seized by police from a warehouse in South Africa were linked to a Chinese operation which resulted in 80 arrests across several cities earlier this year. Photo: Interpol

Published: 6:00pm, 23 May 2021Updated: 9:49pm, 23 May 2021

When police in China seized 3,000 fake Covid-19 vaccines and made 80 arrests across several cities earlier this year, they halted a months-long international scam. But it may have been a sign of more to come.

Interpol and other law enforcement-related groups are warning of the increased risk of vaccine trafficking and counterfeiting as the coronavirus infects thousands each day and most countries have insufficient doses.

“This has created a level of desperation in communities across the world and that means criminals will use their predatory, parasitic mentalities to make money from the fear,” said Stephen Kavanagh, executive director of Interpol’s police services.

“If the profits are there and the [vaccine] roll-out programme seems to stutter in certain countries, there is little doubt that criminals today are trying to scale up their production of fake vaccines,” he said, noting the agency had already seen examples of fake vaccines around the world.

Some of these have been made public. Mexican authorities in February arrested six people for selling fake Pfizer vaccines at a private clinic. South African authorities also made several arrests earlier this year after discovering more than 2,000 fake doses in a warehouse linked to the Chinese operation. Another scam in Poland involved fake Pfizer doses filled with an anti-ageing treatment, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal.