Vietnam Police Seize 320K Used Condoms Being Repackaged and Sold as New: Reports

Georgia Slater
·2 min read

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Police in Vietnam have seized over 300,000 used condoms that were being washed, repackaged and sold as new, according to local reports.

Binh Duong provincial market inspectors raided a factory near Ho Chi Minh City over the weekend after receiving a tip from a local resident about its unsanitary practices, the Associated Press reported, citing local, state-owned paper Tuoi Tre.

Upon arriving at the factory, inspectors found bags of about 320,000 recycled condoms that had been boiled, dried, reshaped, and then repackaged in plastic bags, the newspaper reported, per the AP and The New York Times.

The owner of the factory, a 34-year-old woman, reportedly told inspectors that the factory had bought the used condoms from a man in the area.

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She told investigators that she was paid 17 cents for every two pounds of recycled condoms, the Times reported.

Footage from local state-owned broadcaster Vietnam Television reportedly showed thousands of condoms at the factory spread out across the floor. The bags filled with recycled contraceptives weighed almost 800 pounds.

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The Times said it remains unclear just how long the business has been in operation or how many condoms have been sold.

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Police will continue to investigate and find others involved in the operation, the AP reported. According to the Times, a woman was arrested in connection with the scheme, though it remains unclear if she has been charged with a crime.

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A health official told the Tuoi Tre newspaper that recycled condoms posed extreme health risks to users.

"This must be prevented," the official said.