Illegal E-cigarette Factory Discovered in Taiwan's New Taipei

According to a report by Taiwan's "Central News Agency" on October 5th, an e-cigarette manufacturing factory was discovered in New Taipei City, Taiwan. In March this year, Taiwan implemented new tobacco control regulations that prohibited the production and sale of e-cigarettes. Therefore, this factory is the first illegal facility that has been found since the new rules came into effect.

According to a tip-off, a large division of the "Immigration Bureau" in New Taipei City conducted a search at a residential unit in Sanchong District, where they discovered four undocumented foreign workers and one foreigner who had overstayed their visa. These five individuals were found to be engaged in the production and packaging of e-cigarettes.

The head of the Health Management Department at the city's health department, Chen Xinrong, stated that they have already informed the New Taipei City Health Bureau and the police department about the situation. However, when the authorities arrived at the scene, the manufacturer's responsible person had already left and their identity remains unknown. However, the authorities discovered three e-cigarette packaging and filling machines, 84 boxes of finished e-cigarettes, four boxes of semi-finished products, and 35 bottles of e-liquid at the scene. The health department stated that the market value of these items is estimated to be around NT$10 million (approximately RMB 2.24 million), and all these devices have been confiscated. The health department further stated that they are currently taking further actions to track down the manufacturer, sellers, and distributors.

The Ministry of Health announced that, according to the revised Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act, manufacturers or importers of counterfeit tobacco products or their components will face fines ranging from 10 to 50 million New Taiwan Dollars. Similarly, retailers or exhibitors of such products will be subject to fines ranging from 200,000 to 1 million New Taiwan Dollars. In addition, foreign workers found in these factories will be handed over to the Immigration Agency for further investigation.