Law enforcement officials in China’s eastern region reported on Monday that they have successfully dismantled a fraudulent operation that had accumulated over 20 million yuan ($3 million) in profit through the sale of counterfeit Herbalife goods.

On receiving a lead from the online commercial powerhouse, Alibaba, regarding suspicious activities, officers conducted a raid on a four-story building located in the suburbs of Suzhou, Jiangsu province, on the 1st of November. The search led to the discovery of seven individuals in the process of packaging fake commodities.

The officials confiscated nearly 2 metric tons of raw materials, which comprised protein powder, cookies, and labels bearing the name of Herbalife, an American firm recognized for its range of weight management products.

An additional five suspects were subsequently apprehended in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, and in Guangzhou and Zhanjiang in Guangdong province, in connection with the online distribution of the counterfeit goods.

The public security bureau sentenced all 12 individuals to criminal detention as a form of punishment.

Law enforcement officials identified the mastermind of the operation as a 36-year-old individual, known only as Ding, who had hired young adults from Guangdong to manufacture hundreds of counterfeit health food cans daily.

Ding admitted to previously producing fake health food products between 2007 and 2009, however, he managed to evade legal consequences, as revealed by Wu Jianfei, a police officer from Suzhou who played a role in the investigation.

One of Ding’s associates, known by the surname Jiang, was apprehended during that period and served a three-year prison sentence. Upon his release, he rejoined forces with Ding, and the duo resumed their illicit production of fake Herbalife items, which they sold for approximately 300 yuan per can, according to Wu.

Ding disclosed to the authorities that he replicated the Herbalife products’ texture and taste using protein powder, cookies, and various other food additives.

The officials stated that they have dispatched samples of the counterfeit commodities for analysis to determine if they pose a potential threat to public health.