Sentenced to 9 months in prison for trafficking in counterfeit food products

According to the first instance judgment, Long has a tea and coffee packaging production facility in Long Binh (Vinh Long). In the process of selling goods produced by his facility, in early 2021, Long received a call from a person named Huy (identity and background unknown) introducing the sale of grade 1 Son Tung coffee for 50,000 VND. VND/kg, cheaper than the price sold by Son Tung Company on the market which is 5,000 VND/kg. But the coffee Huy sells does not have invoices or documents proving its origin and is not sold on the market by Son Tung Company. Because he saw the profit, Long agreed to buy it to resell it for profit; When Long sold his tea and coffee in the provinces of Tra Vinh, Soc Trang, Bac Lieu, and Ca Mau, he introduced the above Son Tung coffee product. After that, Long called to order Huy’s coffee 3 times to resell to customers.

Accused Pham Thanh Long. Photo: EARLY TOMORROW

At about 7:00 p.m. on January 27, 2022, Huy called Long to deliver coffee (21 bags). At about 7:00 a.m. on January 29, 2022, Long drove a car carrying 21 bags of coffee to the Ca Mau city area to sell, but when driving on Phung Hiep Quan Highway (area of ​​Khom 1, Ward 2, Nga Nam town), the patrol force of Nga Nam town police stopped the vehicle for inspection. Through inspection, the authorities discovered that the bags containing coffee did not have invoices, proving the origin of the goods, and made a record of the case, temporarily confiscating evidence and means to clarify. Through appraisal, the authorities determined that the above product is a counterfeit of the trademark protected under the business certificate…

Long’s behavior directly violated the State’s regulations on trading in food products, destabilizing the market and threatening the lives and health of consumers; affecting market share and reputation of manufacturers, infringing on intellectual property rights. On December 20, 2023, the People’s Court of Nga Nam town sentenced defendant Long to 9 months in prison for trafficking in counterfeit food products.

Afterwards, Long appealed and asked for a suspended sentence. At the appeal court, the jury found that the first instance judgment had sentenced the right person, the right crime, and in accordance with the law, so the appellate court upheld the first instance judgment of the People’s Court of Nga Nam town. .

TOMORROW