Honduran nationals detained in Mexico while flying a fake Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine on a private jet fled. This was reported by the country's prosecutor's office on Twitter.
“The Migration Service was asked to issue immigration notices to the pilot and passengers accommodated in the hotel, but they fled from surveillance,” the prosecutor's office said. It is clarified that the fake vaccine was withdrawn earlier. As soon as the fact of forgery is confirmed, a criminal case will be opened.
The day before, the Honduran company Grupo Karim made a statement about the delayed plane. The company admitted that it intended to deliver a coronavirus vaccine for its employees to Honduras, but rejected accusations of attempting to smuggle the drug into the country.
The discovery of a batch of a fake Russian drug was reported on March 18. Mexican customs officials found a batch of fake Russian Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine on board a private jet. Ampoules with six thousand doses were hidden in cooler bags among soft drinks and sweets. From Mexico, the plane was to fly to San Pedro Sula International Airport in Honduras. Authorities detained passengers and crew of the plane, and the ship itself was seized. The photographs released by the government show that several spelling errors were made in the Russian-language inscriptions on the ampoules of the confiscated drug. For example, the name of a vaccine is written as “Gma-COVID-Vac” instead of “Gam-COVID-Vac”.
The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) reported that, judging by the photographs, the batch was fake – the design of containers and labels is different. The foundation also assured that each ampoule of the Russian vaccine has an individual QR code that allows you to establish its origin.