Prosecution of Illegal E-cigarette Sales in Shanghai

According to a recent report by the Xinmin Evening News, the Hongkou District Procuratorate in Shanghai has filed charges against a man named Ye for illegally operating an e-cigarette business without a license, and has launched a thorough investigation into the source of the delivery industry.

Ye, who had previously worked in Japan, started a purchasing agent business in 2019. In 2022, he began a partnership with Zhang to purchase and resell IQOS pods following a friend's inquiry. However, selling IQOS pods requires a relevant business license, which Ye did not possess. After investigation, it was found that this illegal operation lasted from January 2022 to July 2023, with a total sales amount exceeding 100,000 RMB. Ye was sentenced to one year and six months in prison with a one-year and six-month probation, as well as a fine of 20,000 RMB.

On the other hand, the procuratorate of Hongkou District has also carried out in-depth source governance on the express delivery industry. According to prosecutors, some courier companies have not implemented the obligation of receiving and inspecting parcels as specified in the seventh procuratorial suggestion of the Supreme People's Procuratorate, which has laid the hidden danger for the illegal and unlawful behavior of excessively sending e-cigarettes.

To prevent such situations from happening again, the prosecutor issued a prosecution recommendation to the express delivery company, requiring the company to strengthen legal education, standardize real-name sending and receiving, machine security inspection systems, and establish an early warning mechanism. Next, the prosecutor's office will continue to monitor the implementation of the prosecution recommendation.