Seoul City Arrests Gang for Selling Illegal 'Siseus' Disguised as Famous Overseas Products... Sales Worth 1.7 Billion KRW

The supplier imported raw materials of unknown origin from China... The processor manufactured domestically, and the distributor distributed nationwide
Deceived by imitating overseas product packaging design and direct import... Sold over 110,000 bottles in 2 years

Illegal 'Cissus' Product Supply, Manufacturing, Distribution, and Sales Process

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] On the 23rd, the Seoul Metropolitan Government's Civil Affairs Judicial Police Unit announced that it had arrested three and sent one for prosecution without detention among a group involved in supplying, manufacturing, distributing, and selling approximately 1.7 billion KRW worth of illegal products made from 'Cissus,' which cannot be used as a food ingredient, falsely marketed as a famous overseas diet product.

After receiving intelligence in August last year and initiating an internal investigation, the Civil Affairs Judicial Police Unit uncovered the full extent of the crime through persistent investigations over more than a year, including four raids, indicting the seller as well as the raw material suppliers and manufacturers. Cissus (Cissus quadrangularis), a grape family plant mainly grown in tropical regions such as India, has not been verified for safety and therefore cannot be sold as a general food ingredient under current law. It can only be manufactured and sold as a health functional food after obtaining approval from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety in the form of raw materials whose functionality, safety, and manufacturing methods have been proven.

This group was caught selling products made from Cissus powder, whose exact origin was unknown and which had not undergone any approval procedures, as if they were famous overseas products. The ringleader, seller A, decided to produce and sell such products after the so-called 'Cissus diet' gained popularity, and obtained raw materials through suppliers B and C.

The Cissus powder they used as raw material was found to have not undergone formal import food registration, and its exact origin was unknown. Supplier B purchased low-quality Cissus powder from Chinese peddlers at Incheon Port, while another supplier, C, smuggled it into the country disguised as industrial resin from China. The ringleader A commissioned food manufacturer D to process it into tablet form or personally filled the powder into containers, falsely labeling them as direct import products and distributing them nationwide. The product containers were designed to imitate the design of famous overseas Cissus products.

The illegally sold products were found to contain only negligible amounts of Cissus ingredients, barely enough to be called Cissus. Testing for 'quercetin' and 'isorhamnetin,' the key components of 'Cissus extract' recognized for aiding body fat reduction, detected only trace amounts too small to quantify. Food manufacturer D, who produced the Cissus tablets, stated that besides Cissus powder, only food additives (microcrystalline cellulose) necessary to maintain the tablet form were added, with no other ingredients included.

To conceal their crime, they meticulously labeled Cissus powder transactions and product distribution as 'boicha' (a type of tea) in text messages and transaction statements. Supplier C and seller A used the WeChat app, where tracking by investigative agencies is relatively difficult, to write 'Cissus,' while referring to it as 'boicha' in text messages or KakaoTalk.

From around October 2019 to September 2021, illegal Cissus products sold through traditional markets and retailers nationwide totaled approximately 110,000 bottles, amounting to about 1.7 billion KRW. Under the Food Sanitation Act, selling, manufacturing, importing, processing, or displaying Cissus, which cannot be used as a raw material for general food, for sale is punishable by up to five years imprisonment or a fine of up to 50 million KRW.

When purchasing Cissus products, consumers should verify the health functional food labeling designated by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, and when buying imported products, special care should be taken to check for Korean labeling attached to officially imported foods. To sell imported foods to domestic consumers, sellers registered for import and sales business must display Korean labeling such as raw material names and manufacturer names and undergo inspection by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety through import declaration.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government requested active reporting and tips from citizens upon discovering food-related crimes, emphasizing that citizen reports were crucial in detecting illegal foods. Rewards of up to 200 million KRW are provided according to ordinances for contributions to public interest through reporting and providing decisive evidence of criminal acts.

Kim Myung-joo, head of the Seoul Civil Affairs Judicial Police Unit, said, “This case is one where the entire supply, manufacturing, distribution, and sales network was uncovered after persistent investigation, eradicating the root of the problem,” and added, “We will continue to do our best in investigating food safety crimes so that citizens can trust and purchase safe food.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.