Illegal Production and Operation of E-Cigarettes Lead to Convictions

Feb.08

12 people in Shaanxi's Baihe County prosecuted for illegal production of e-cigarettes, sentenced to 1.3 to 5.4 years in prison.

Recently, the Bahe County Procuratorate in Shaanxi Province announced on its official public account that 12 individuals including Ding were prosecuted by the Bahe County People's Procuratorate for illegally producing e-cigarettes and engaging in illegal business activities. The case has been publicly heard and sentenced by the court. Ding and others were charged with the crime of illegal business operation for manufacturing e-cigarettes without a license or assisting in the illegal production. However, due to factors such as surrendering voluntarily and meritorious deeds, the 12 defendants were sentenced to varying prison terms ranging from five years and four months to one year and three months. This case is the first instance in Shaanxi Province of prosecuting and sentencing individuals for the illegal production and operation of e-cigarettes.

According to the chief prosecutor, the revised "Regulations on the Implementation of the Tobacco Monopoly Law of the People's Republic of China" since November 10, 2021, officially include new tobacco products such as e-cigarettes in the relevant regulations and management of cigarettes. Ding and others attempted to continue producing e-cigarettes in secret. Between March and October 2023, after receiving orders from their "superiors", Ding, along with Zhong and Qian, secretly produced more than 800,000 e-cigarettes in locations such as Nanchang in Jiangxi and Ankang in Shaanxi, and then sold them overseas in batches.

According to reports, this case has been supervised by the Ministry of Public Security. The criminal activities span two provinces and three cities, with three criminal hideouts identified. There are over 20 suspects involved in the case, and the total amount involved is over 60 million yuan.

References:

[1] 白河检察：陕西省首例电子烟非法经营案获判决

Also Read:

[1] Public Sentencing of Drug Trafficking Case Involving E-cigarette Pads

[2] Beijing Court Sentences Man for Illegal Sales of E-cigarettes

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