Successful Crackdown on Illegal Production and Sale of E-cigarette

According to a report from Chinanews.com on September 26th, the New Ning County Public Security Bureau in Hunan Province announced that they, in conjunction with the New Ning County Tobacco Monopoly Bureau, have successfully cracked down on a case involving the illegal production and sale of e-cigarettes. Four manufacturing sites were raided, and 21 individuals involved in the case were arrested, with a total amount of money involved exceeding 40 million yuan. This is said to be the first case in Hunan Province where a complete chain of research, production, supply, and distribution of illegal e-cigarettes has been dismantled, making it a typical case of such criminal networks.

The police have dismantled 12 dens involved in the production, storage, and sale of e-cigarettes, seizing over 100,000 e-cigarette devices, more than 250,000 pods, and over 300 production equipment. This operation has effectively cracked down on tobacco-related illegal activities, truly maintaining order in the tobacco market and cleaning up its environment.

It has been discovered that the criminal organization led by Li is tightly organized, well-structured, and has clear divisions of labor. In order to maximize profits, this gang took risks and engaged in illegal activities. Since October 2022, without obtaining the necessary permits for e-cigarette production and operation, they have been using various electronic factories in Qingjiang Bridge Township, Xinning County, and Dongguan City, Guangdong Province as counterfeit e-cigarette production sites. They sourced e-cigarette components from the e-cigarette parts distribution center in Dongguan, Guangdong as raw materials, and illegally produced and sold over 10,000 units of their self-developed e-cigarettes, including the YFK-BOX. After being examined by the Hunan Provincial Tobacco Monopoly Bureau, it was confirmed that the e-cigarettes and pods produced by this gang are counterfeit and inferior products.

All 21 suspects in the criminal case, including Li and others, have been legally detained by the Xinning County Public Security Bureau. Currently, the investigation into the case has concluded and it has been lawfully transferred to the Xinning County People's Procuratorate for review and prosecution.

In the next step, the Xinning County Public Security Bureau will further enhance its coordination and collaboration with the tobacco department, launching a strong crackdown on tobacco-related illegal activities, in order to maintain the order of the market economy and create a favorable business environment in Xinning County.