Vietnam arrests man for selling counterfeit power transformers

Vietnamese police in An Giang province have uncovered a criminal network that has been producing and distributing counterfeit power transformers since 2019. The scheme involved purchasing damaged transformers, refurbishing them, and falsifying THIBIDI brand labels and technical documents before selling them as genuine products across several provinces.

On 29 January, investigators detained 1979‑born Trương Văn Tiền, along with two accomplices, after catching them moving fake units from Tây Ninh and Cần Thơ to An Giang. A raid seized 137 counterfeit transformers valued at more than 20 billion VND (≈ US$850 k). The police also announced broader actions against other organized counterfeit operations, including a case in Phú Quốc where over 350 luxury handbags mimicking Chanel, Dior, Louis Vuitton and Gucci were seized, and a separate probe into a coffee‑processing plant that produced fake coffee powder.

Authorities said the rise of e‑commerce and social‑media platforms has facilitated the spread of such counterfeit goods, prompting intensified inspections, prosecutions, and public awareness campaigns to protect consumers, enterprises and market integrity.