Large-Scale Illegal Tobacco Operation in Lanzhou: Crackdown and Arrests

According to a report from Xinhua News Agency on May 17th, the police in Lanzhou recently cracked a major illegal tobacco operation, arresting 35 suspects, seizing over 2 million smuggled tobacco products and counterfeit trademarked tobacco products, confiscating over 100 mobile phones and laptops used in the operation, and identifying approximately 1.1 billion yuan in funds related to the case.

In October 2023, Lanzhou police received inspection information from the Lanzhou Tobacco Monopoly Bureau that illegal tobacco products of unknown origin were circulating in the market in the Anning District of Lanzhou City, Gansu Province. After inspecting suspicious packages received at multiple logistics distribution points, the police discovered that some of them were foreign cigarettes without customs registration, while others were counterfeit cigarettes with unauthorized registered trademarks, valued at over 80,000 yuan. On various online platforms such as Tieba forums, several livestreamers and bloggers were conducting live sales and advertising under the guise of overseas purchasing, illegally selling tobacco products on the side, and making payments through designated third-party payment apps.

The police have discovered that these anchors and bloggers intentionally avoid sensitive words related to tobacco in their live streams and posts, using code names and aliases familiar to insiders in the industry to lure people in. They not only sell counterfeit products privately, but also recruit agents. Through analyzing layers of agents, the police identified Xu as the main suspect behind the scenes. Since the end of 2022, Xu has hired cheap labor from overseas, taken advantage of personal shopping duty-free clearance policies, obtained foreign tobacco products at low prices, packaged and distributed them, and mixed in some fake products, illegally selling them to make huge profits. To evade air cargo security checks, Xu specifically chose to transport the products through land routes from the Khorgos Port in Xinjiang, reaching 11 provinces and 24 major cities across the country.

In April 2024, the Lanzhou police organized over 200 officers and formed 20 arrest teams to apprehend suspects in multiple locations. They successfully captured 35 criminal suspects, including Xu, and dismantled 11 illegal tobacco production sites.

Currently, all suspects have been taken into custody and are under criminal investigation. The case is still being further investigated.