The Public Ministry of the State of Rio de Janeiro (MPRJ) launched, on the morning of this Wednesday (17), an operation against a gang investigated for manufacturing and selling counterfeit food supplements and products with therapeutic purposes. Agents aim to execute 14 search and seizure warrants. According to investigations, the group used e-commerce platforms to advertise supplements from well-known brands with photos of the original products and prices below the market. However, consumers received adulterated goods. Among the counterfeit brands would be products from recognized manufacturers in the sector. According to the MPRJ, the suspects took advantage of the credibility of large marketplaces to increase sales of counterfeit items, causing losses to thousands of consumers and damaging the reputation of the companies involved. The platforms collaborated with the investigations, providing information that helped identify the members of the scheme. In total, 14 people were reported by the Cybercrime Combat Unit of the Special Action Group to Combat Organized Crime (CyberGaeco/MPRJ). In the first phase of the investigation, a Civil Police action located a clandestine laboratory used to manufacture adulterated products. The agents also found a warehouse with a large quantity of supplements and pharmaceutical products, hundreds of orders ready for shipping and thousands of labels, indicating the organization's large-scale operations. In addition to the financial losses, the Public Ministry warns of the risks to consumers' health, as the products contained substances different from those reported on the labels. Those charged will be responsible for the crimes of criminal association, embezzlement and counterfeiting of products. The actions are carried out by agents from the Security and Intelligence Coordination (CSI/MPRJ) at addresses located in Recreio dos Bandeirantes, in the West Zone of Rio; in Duque de Caxias, in Baixada Fluminense; in Mangaratiba, on Costa Verde; and in the municipalities of São Pedro da Aldeia and Cabo Frio, in the Lagos Region. The offensive is part of Operation National Convergence, coordinated by the National Group to Combat Criminal Organizations (GNCOC), which aims to dismantle criminal factions and organizations across the country.