Main Urban Tobacco Inspection Officers Swap Roles for Cross-District Enforcement

If citizens discover counterfeit cigarettes during the holiday season, they can call the 24-hour reporting hotline 12313

　　▲Enforcement Scene

“All district inspection team members assemble, listen for deployment.” The day before yesterday morning, the Municipal Tobacco Monopoly Bureau's inspection team suddenly issued an assembly order to the directors of the tobacco monopoly bureaus in the main urban area, urgently gathering to await orders for cross-district enforcement.

It is reported that this is the largest anti-counterfeiting operation before the Spring Festival.

18 minutes: The first group of team members assembled and set off

The day before yesterday happened to be Monday, during the peak commuting hours, traffic flow on major roads in the main city surged.

After 8 AM, the Municipal Tobacco Monopoly Bureau's inspection team was bustling—Chongqing Tobacco's 2015 “Sword No. 1” operation was quietly underway.

At around 9 AM, without any prior notice, the anti-counterfeiting command center of the Municipal Tobacco Monopoly Bureau issued an emergency assembly order to the deputy directors of the monopoly bureaus in the eight districts of the main city (excluding Beibei District), requiring them to gather personnel in the shortest time possible, wear work uniforms, prepare video cameras, quality inspection equipment, legal documents, etc., and immediately dispatch vehicles to the designated assembly location.

　　At 9:18 AM that day, the inspection team from the Nanan District Tobacco Monopoly Bureau was the first to arrive at the notified location, taking 18 minutes, the fastest team. Within half an hour, inspection teams from the other seven districts gradually arrived on site. It is reported that this operation covered the eight districts of the main city, excluding Beibei District, with the task of conducting surprise inspections on the illegal sale of counterfeit cigarettes, smuggled tobacco, and the subsequent use of licenses.

To ensure the smooth and effective conduct of the operation, the Municipal Tobacco Monopoly Bureau's monopoly department made meticulous arrangements for this operation. The inspection teams from the eight district bureaus were divided into eight inspection groups to conduct cross-checks on the cigarette market in the main city. Additionally, the Municipal Public Security Bureau's anti-counterfeiting team assigned police officers to each inspection group to ensure the effective conduct of the joint surprise inspection operation.

　　On-site: “Why are you back again?”

　　“You just checked us, why are you back again?” During the surprise inspection, a cigarette vendor in Jiulongpo District, Mr. Wang, appeared quite frustrated. This was a scene from the previous day’s tobacco enforcement surprise inspection in Jiulongpo District.

　　It turns out that the inspection team from the Jiulongpo Tobacco Monopoly Bureau had come to check here twice within a week. Mr. Wang thought that after several frequent inspections, the inspection team would relax their vigilance. However, during the recent major inspection, Mr. Wang's stall was “lucky” again.

　　“Recently, we have made a comeback and have seized nearly 400 cartons of various illegal cigarettes, with a case value of nearly 120,000 yuan.” said a relevant person in charge from the Jiulongpo District Bureau.

It is reported that yesterday's major raid involved 113 law enforcement personnel, 16 law enforcement vehicles, and inspection personnel divided into 8 groups, each with 2 teams, conducting surprise inspections at over 40 streets across the eight districts of Yuzhong, Jiangbei, Shapingba, etc., totaling 249 retail points. This operation resulted in 54 illegal households being checked, with a total of 1,637.8 cartons of illegal cigarettes seized.

If citizens discover counterfeit cigarettes during the Spring Festival, they can call the 24-hour reporting hotline 12313. The inspection teams from the tobacco bureaus in each district are on high alert during the Spring Festival. Chongqing Evening News reporter Zhu Jun, correspondent Tu Jing, photography report