Denpasar (The Jakarta Post/ANN)
- Bali has become one of the centers of the illegal cosmetic trade in the
country, as evident in the many illegal cosmetic products seized every time the
Food and Drug Monitoring Agency conducts a raid, a senior agency official
stated.
"We
find many illegal cosmetic products containing hazardous substances and lacking
distribution licenses every time we carry out a raid. It seems that the
products are always in demand," said agency head Corry Panjaitan.
Most of
the illegal products distributed in Bali are allegedly supplied from Surabaya,
she added. However, the court always gives lenient sentences to the
perpetrators.
"Many
of the suspects we have arrested and questioned cooperated with the
investigation and admitted to their guilt. Unfortunately, many of them were
only given light sentences. We don't understand the judges' way of
thinking," Corry said, commenting on the light sentences despite complete
evidence and investigation results being presented at court.
In latest
raid, carried out simultaneously nationwide over three days from Sept. 21 to
23, the agency seized 14,458 packages of illegal cosmetic and food products
from Denpasar and Badung, where most of the products were sold.
All the
products were estimated to be worth more than Rp 187 million (US$20,777), Corry
said. "Most of the seized products contained dangerous substances, had no
distribution license or an expired license."
Among the
seized cosmetics were counterfeit products from Mac and Ponds brands, as well
as whitening products with no brand and makeup pallets.
The
agency also seized traditional herbal products of jamu, pills and aphrodisiacs,
including Cialis, a prescription drug for erectile dysfunction that was widely
distributed illegally.
Dangerous
substances contained in the seized products were mercury, hydroquinone and
retinoic acid, which can cause cancer, skin irritation and infections in
internal organs.
The raid
was carried out at outlets and warehouses. "We named three owners as
suspects and gave another one a warning letter," said the agency's head of
monitoring and investigation, IGA Adhi Pradnyapatmi.
None of
the warehouses had signboards or operating licenses. Most of the warehouses
were located in North Denpasar.
The
suspects will be charged under the 2009 Health Law for distributing dangerous
drugs. The law carries a maximum sentence of 15 years and a Rp 10 billion fine.
Corry
said guilty parties should be punished heavily as permissible by law, but most
were given light sentences.
Last
year, the agency monitored 4,485 drug and food outlets in Bali. The agency also
received reports and questions from the public, mostly about food (63 percent),
cosmetics (17 percent and traditional remedies (8 percent).
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