A group that forged regular tumblers, forks, and spoons to sell them as Starbucks products has been caught by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety.
The Busan Regional Food and Drug Administration noted that it has referred four individuals to the prosecution on charges of violating the Food Sanitation Act and the law on labeling and advertising of food, who sold ordinary tumblers and a set of spoons and forks as products of the famous coffee brand 'Starbucks.'
According to the Busan Food and Drug Administration, these individuals have reportedly sold approximately 1.3 billion won worth of tumblers and spoon-fork sets falsely labeled with the Starbucks trademark for about four years, from June 2020 to July this year.
They illegally imported forks and spoons through international mail without declaring them to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, and then repackaged them in boxes printed with the Starbucks logo or affixed the trademark on unmarked tumblers using a laser engraver after making formal import declarations.
They also posted product photos and import food inspection reports on their operated online shopping mall and community, falsely advertising them as officially imported products and selling them at prices about 60% cheaper than genuine products. These counterfeit items were reportedly sold as gifts for celebrations, weddings, and as souvenirs or promotional materials for corporations.
During the crime process, they were found to have shared enforcement information from investigative agencies such as the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety and customs to avoid crackdowns and investigations, or to downplay charges.
The Busan Food and Drug Administration has confiscated the approximately 1.2 billion won worth of violating products identified during the search to prevent them from being distributed and sold.
It has been confirmed that there are no issues with the safety of the counterfeit products identified this time. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety stated that as a result of conducting leaching tests on the counterfeit products identified this time, they were found to meet safety management standards.
The Busan Food and Drug Administration said, "We have confiscated approximately 1.2 billion won worth of violating products identified during the search to prevent them from being distributed and sold," and noted, "We will strengthen crackdowns and investigations on food utensils and containers that are distributed illegally."