TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan’s Criminal Investigation Bureau announced Tuesday it has dismantled an operation that illegally imported and modified aesthetic medical devices valued at more than NT$1 billion (US$32.7 million).
Investigators said Ultra Beauty Paradise Inc. has been importing unapproved medical equipment from China since 2023, selling it to cosmetic clinics in Taipei and New Taipei, per CNA.
A long-term investigation led to six raids since July, resulting in the arrest of 12 suspects and implicating 20 cosmetic clinics.
Authorities uncovered two underground facilities where devices were tampered with and one site where illegal treatments were performed. Seized items included 15 modified machines, 2,767 treatment probes, and 65 boxes of altered components.
The company was reportedly run by four brothers surnamed Huang (黃). Three had engineering backgrounds in the aesthetic industry, with the second eldest serving as the company’s legal representative and the youngest handling clinic sales.
The operation involved Thermage FLX skin-tightening devices and related products imported without approval from the Ministry of Health or authorization from the original manufacturers. Devices were modified to bypass usage limits on treatment probes and consumables, significantly increasing the risk of complications during procedures.
Thermage FLX uses high-frequency radio waves to generate dermal heat, treating fine lines, sagging, and early aging with different probes applied to various body areas.
The case has been referred to prosecutors on charges including violations of the Physicians Act and Medical Devices Act, as well as criminal fraud and copyright and trademark infringements. The eldest, second eldest, and youngest Huang brothers have been detained incommunicado under court order.
