China nabs high-end liquor forgery gangs

BEIJING - Chinese police have busted four gangs involved in producing and selling fake high-end liquor, with more than 5,000 bottles of alcohol being confiscated, the Ministry of Public Security (MPS) announced on Monday.

Police captured 11 criminal suspects as part of the operation.

The counterfeit high-end liquor included Feitian Moutai, an expensive brand of Kweichow Moutai. The profit from one bottle was more than 1,500 yuan (244 U.S.dollars), according to the ministry.

The entire case involves more than 25 million yuan and was jointly cracked by police from Chongqing municipality, Sichuan, Guizhou, Anhui, Guangdong and Jiangsu provinces.

The MPS said the fake liquor was very deceiving as it tasted authentic and even anti-forgery tags looked real.