Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Food and Drug Supervisory Agency (BPOM) has seized illegal herbal and processed food products containing medicinal chemicals such as Paracetamol and Sildenafil, which were discovered during cyber patrols of several electronic commerce (e-commerce) platforms.
"The herbal medicine and coffee products are prohibited from containing medicinal chemicals to increase stamina in a short time. They pose a huge risk to health," BPOM head Penny K. Lukito said during a press conference on Friday.
BPOM has seized more than 30 kilograms of Paracetamol and Sildenafil in the form of raw materials, bulk materials of more than five kilograms in the form of capsules and other packaging, and simple production equipment that did not comply with good manufacturing practices, she informed.
It has also seized 15 types of finished products totaling 5,800 items and 36 types of traditional medicines totaling 18,200 items, she said.
"There are also types of coffee with various brands, and illegal claims that can deceive consumers," she said.
The illegal products, worth more than Rp1.5 billion, were seized from production houses in Bandung and Bogor, West Java province in the past month, she informed.
"There are already two suspects in this illegal practice," she said.
The long-term effect of using such products include heart problems, liver disorders, issues with reproductive organs, and they may even cause cancer and death, she said.
Acting deputy IV for enforcement at BPOM, Muhamad Kashuri, said that the case was uncovered during cyber patrol activities, which monitored the sales links for coffee-type food products for male stamina on Tokopedia and Shopee platforms.
The suspects even used fake BPOM permits on product packaging to convince customers, he said.
"Then we investigated and found similar cases in Malang. We later traced them to illegal facilities and found other products," Kashuri said.
This added to the findings of similar cases revealed by BPOM in the last two years, he said. Eighty-eight cases have been prosecuted in court and verdicts have been announced for 24 of them, he added.
The perpetrators have been charged under multiple articles, including Articles 196 and 197 of Law Number 36 of 2009 concerning Health, which prescribes 15 years’ imprisonment and a fine of Rp1.5 billion, as well as Articles 136 and 140 of Law Number 18 of 2012 concerning Food, which prescribes 5 years’ imprisonment and a fine of Rp10 billion.