Authorities crack down on counterfeit cigarettes

Public security organs nationwide handled 43,000 tobacco-related crimes and detained 44,000 suspects from 2017 to 2021, preventing losses of over 100 billion yuan ($15 billion) for the country, according to the Ministry of Public Security.

The police also seized 2.1 million counterfeit cigarettes, nearly 100,000 metric tons of tobacco leaves and about 1,700 machines used to make the fake cigarettes during the period.

The ministry worked with China's State Tobacco Monopoly Administration to deploy law enforcement authorities to target such crimes.

The joint crackdown targeted the production and distribution of counterfeit cigarettes in key areas and promoted comprehensive rectification at tobacco companies. It also prioritized disrupting related logistics to break up relative criminal networks, according to the ministry.

In addition, the crackdown focused on curbing the offshore counterfeiting and smuggling of cigarettes, strangling the supply chain of raw and auxiliary materials used in the production of the fake goods and consolidating governance at the source. The efforts have achieved clear results, effectively making it more difficult for related crimes to be committed.

The crackdown on cigarette counterfeiting will continue, with emphasis on combating activities such as illegal sales of tobacco leaves and illegal transport of cigarettes, and on cutting off the underground supply chain for the production and sale of counterfeit cigarettes, according to an official working at an office charged with fighting counterfeit cigarette sales and production.

The office was jointly established by China's State Tobacco Monopoly Administration and the Ministry of Public Security.