12 held over fake pesticide ring

A fake pesticide gang with a business worth 40 million yuan (US$6.45 million) has been busted and 12 people detained, police said yesterday.

Police in Jiading District received a tip-off about a man hawking pesticides in the district in April.

Tests found these pesticides were bogus, offering no protection.

Officers placed the network under surveillance. After a two-month investigation, six people were held on June 21. More than 30 tons of fake pesticides and equipment were seized.

Over the following fortnight, Shanghai police worked with colleagues in Heilongjiang, Shandong, Hebei and Henan provinces to discover the source of the bogus pesticides and detained more suspects.

Police are still investigating.