Police confiscate illegal medicines

JAKARTA (JP): City police have confiscated hundreds of boxes of unregistered Chinese medicine and food supplements in raids on 18 drug stores in West Jakarta, a police officer said Wednesday.

Chief of Detectives for Economic Affairs Lt. Col. Saud Usman Nasution said Wednesday that unregistered medicine had been confiscated from 16 of the 18 stores.

City Police Spokesman Lt. Col. E. Aritonang said the seized products, including various Chinese brands of slimming tea and pain killers, were packed in glass or plastic bottles or aluminum strips or cans.

There were no details on the prices of the seized medicine and food supplements, Aritonang said.

Saud said the owners of the 16 stores had been questioned over why they had not registered the imported medicine at the Ministry of Health.

"These people have violated Article 23 of the 1992 Health Regulations on product registration and labeling," Saud said.

Aritonang said that all food and beverages, including medicine and food supplements, sold domestically should have ingredients and expiry dates listed on the packaging.

He said police in cooperation with the Agency for Food and Drug Control would examine the ingredients and quality of the confiscated drugs.

Twelve of the 16 stores raided are on Jl. Pancoran, Kota. They include the Mandarin, Sinar Makmur, Bintang Selatan, Tai Seng Ho, Hauw Hauw, Brother, Hidup, Jaya Abadi, Berlian Baru, Berlian Lama, and Bintang Terang.

The other stores are the Bison and Karti Jaya on Jl. Kemenangan and Bintang Surya and Sudi in Bandengan. (cst)