In Dongguan, Guangdong, China, a herbal tea shop enhanced the efficacy of its herbal tea by adding acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and other drug powders, recently resulting in a court sentence of 6 months, with a suspended sentence for 1 year and a fine of 2,000 RMB (1,178 MYR).
According to the "Southern Daily" report, on the 6th, the Dongguan Second Court used three cases of producing and selling toxic and harmful food as examples to remind businesses to operate within the law. Among them, the owner of a herbal tea shop in Dongguan was sentenced to 6 months, suspended for 1 year, and fined 2,000 RMB for adding ibuprofen to herbal tea and then selling it.
The case indicated that the defendant, Lei, was originally the operator of the Sha Tin herbal tea shop in Dongguan. In 2024, Lei arbitrarily added drug powders containing acetaminophen and ibuprofen into the herbal tea for sale. On March 11, 2024, the Sha Tin branch of the Dongguan Market Supervision and Administration Bureau inspected the Sha Tin herbal tea shop, testing 6 types of herbal teas and seizing a packet of suspicious white powder on site.
Upon testing, the herbal tea was found to contain acetaminophen, chlorpheniramine, and ibuprofen components, while the white powder had acetaminophen and ibuprofen components. In the same year, September, the police arrested Lei.
Ibuprofen is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug commonly used for pain relief, fever reduction, and anti-inflammation.