A million counterfeit condoms seized
Customs officers in the Polish port of Gdynia have intercepted a shipment packed with more than a million Chinese made counterfeit condoms bound for the European market.
Customs officers in the Polish port of Gdynia have intercepted a shipment packed with more than a million Chinese made counterfeit condoms Photo: PA
By Matthew Day, Warsaw
10:58AM BST 27 Jun 2013
The seizure of the bogus contraceptives adds another name to the extensive list of forged branded products such as Gucci bags and Apple iPhones that roll off factories in China.
Polish officials said the haul carrying the name of a Czech manufacturer was worth more than £42,000, and followers the seizure of smaller consignment in February.
"It was not so much the product but where they it was coming from that was important," said Marcin Daczko, a spokesman for customs agency in Gdynia.
"Basically, goods from certain places are checked more than others." Officials added that the condoms would have gone to a distribution point in central Poland, if they had not been stopped.
The bust could fuel concerns of an influx into Europe of cheap and shoddy Chinese counterfeit condoms. Last month Chinese police seized 4.6 million forged Durex and Contex condoms in raids on a factory in Fujian province, and tests later showed the contraceptives were covered in a cheap lubricant.
Other counterfeit condoms have been found to full of holes, made from cheap materials that split and tear, and produced in unhygienic surroundings.
Health officials have warned that the bogus condoms could fail to protect people from unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases.
In April Ghana seized over a million Chinese-made condoms and announced it was facing a "major public health issue" after tests revealed the contraceptives had holes and burst easily.
