TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwanese authorities have busted a Vietnamese-run underground cosmetic surgery ring operating out of a rented suite in Taichung.
The National Immigration Agency’s Changhua Specialized Operation Brigade said a Vietnamese woman surnamed Han purchased cosmetic injections online and performed double-eyelid and rhinoplasty procedures for fellow migrants, per CNA. Han and two accomplices rented a suite to carry out the illegal operations.
Han came to Taiwan through family reunification and had about three years of cosmetic surgery experience in Vietnam. In Taiwan, she met a male undocumented Vietnamese migrant worker surnamed Tran online.
Tran had over 80,000 followers on social media and, seeing a lucrative opportunity in the underground cosmetic market, taught himself techniques online. Tran partnered with Han and her cousin, a woman surnamed Nguyen, to form a three-person cosmetic surgery team.
The team promoted services online with slogans such as “affordable prices” and “fast door-to-door service,” even live-streaming surgeries to showcase results. Tran also uploaded videos claiming he could perform certain procedures inside a car.
They operated out of a suite in Taichung’s Wuri District. In a recent raid, NIA officers and Changhua police found them preparing for a nose surgery and seized unlicensed hyaluronic acid, Botox, anesthetics, syringes, needles, whitening creams, sutures, and surgical tools.
After questioning, Han, Tran, and Nguyen were transferred to the Taichung District Prosecutors Office on charges of breaching the Physicians Act and other laws.
