Liaoning stay-at-home mother convicted of illegal business operations for selling vapes on WeChat

"I thought I was just an ordinary micro-business owner, but I didn't expect that reselling e-cigarettes on WeChat would have such serious consequences. I really regret it..." said the suspect, Xiaoyue, sincerely at the hearing.

Recently, the Dalian High-tech Industrial Park Procuratorate in Liaoning accepted a case of illegal business operations. The suspect, Xiaoyue, a stay-at-home mother, sold e-cigarettes via WeChat without obtaining a tobacco business license, constituting illegal business operations. Due to her lack of prior criminal record, the amount involved just reaching the filing standard, and her confession and willingness to plead guilty, she may be subject to relative non-prosecution.

The High-tech Industrial Park Procuratorate held a hearing on Xiaoyue's illegal business operations case, with lawyers, street officials, community grid workers, and resident representatives participating in the hearing, with some community members observing.

At the hearing, the prosecutor introduced the basic situation of the case, presented facts, provided evidence, and explained legal principles, answering questions from the hearing members regarding leniency in handling and the motives involved. After deliberation, the hearing members unanimously agreed with the procuratorial authority's proposed relative non-prosecution handling opinion.

There are more and more "micro-businesses" and "e-commerce" around the people, but many people do not know that products like e-cigarettes, which are state-controlled and sold, cannot be sold casually.

The community grid worker said: "The prosecutor's visit to the community to hold a hearing reflects judicial fairness and is a meaningful legal publicity activity. I hope there will be more legal publicity close to people's lives in the future, providing more legal support for our grid work."

A resident representative said: "I am also a stay-at-home mother and can particularly empathize with her desire to do more for her family. I really didn't know that selling products online could potentially violate the law. I learned a lot by participating in this hearing."

A community party member said: "The prosecutor's ability to come into the community to hold hearings and review cases makes the case handling more transparent, reflecting just judicial practices, indicating that our society is progressing and the rule of law is advancing. I agree with the procuratorial authority's proposed handling opinion."