Initial findings revealed that on June 5, police officers inspected several pharmaceutical companies and retail drugstores across Ha Tinh Province and seized more than 2,000 bottles of ethanol-based medical alcohol (70-degree and 90-degree), labeled under the brand “Ngan Ha,” produced by Ngan Ha Investment Medicine Company Limited. The products showed signs of being counterfeit and of poor quality.
Expanding the investigation, authorities raided the company’s production facility in Hanoi, confiscating an additional 13,812 bottles of similarly packaged products. Laboratory tests later confirmed that the seized alcohol had been manufactured using industrial-grade alcohol with dangerously high levels of methanol — a toxic substance that can cause severe neurological damage, blindness, or even death through inhalation or skin contact.
Investigators identified Pham Dinh Dung, 39, as the legal representative and director of Ngan Ha Investment Medicine Company Limited. However, it was Pham Dinh Tuan, 37, Pham Dinh Dung’s younger brother, who directly oversaw and managed all production and business activities.
In an effort to cut costs and increase profits, since early 2025, Pham Dinh Tuan had ordered employees to purchase 99-percent industrial alcohol (containing high methanol content) to process and manufacture the final products. These were then falsely labeled as medical-grade ethanol and distributed to various provinces and cities across the country.
Ha Tinh Police have officially launched a criminal investigation into the case under charges of “Producing and Trading in Counterfeit Goods,” and further investigations are underway to clarify the involvement of other individuals.
Continuing their crackdown, on June 9, the same investigative unit inspected several medical supply warehouses in Ha Tinh and seized 408 bottles (500ml each) of 70-degree and 90-degree ethanol labeled under the “AB” brand. These were found to be counterfeit and of poor quality, allegedly manufactured by An Binh Medical Supplies Trading JSC, based in Bac Ninh Province.
Pursuing the source, police inspected the company’s headquarters and seized an additional 4,000 counterfeit AB-branded bottles of 70-degree and 90-degree ethanol.
Preliminary investigation determined that from April to May 2025, Nguyen Van Dien, 37, CEO of An Binh Medical Supplies Trading JSC, had instructed employees to use methanol-laced industrial alcohol to produce AB-branded ethanol medical alcohol. These products were then distributed for sale in localities such as Ha Tinh, Nghe An, Thanh Hoa, and Hai Phong.
The Ha Tinh Police are continuing to expand their investigation and gather further evidence to prosecute all those involved in accordance with the law.
