Case involving over RMB 100 million! Wuhan cracks major illegal counterfeit e-cigarette manufacturin

Counterfeit flavorings seized at the production site.

Seized counterfeit e-cigarette production line.

Recently, under the command and coordination of the Public Security Department of Hubei Province and the inspection unit of the provincial tobacco monopoly authority, Wuhan police, working with the tobacco monopoly department, organized a dedicated task force to track the case across provinces. With assistance from public security and tobacco authorities in Shenzhen, they successfully dismantled an illegal counterfeit vaping product manufacturing and sales operation, arresting eight suspects at the scene. So far, the case has resulted in the seizure of more than 213,000 counterfeit vaping devices, vaping pods, and related hardware, with a physical goods value of nearly RMB 20 million and a total case value exceeding RMB 100 million.

In October 2022, the Wuhan Tobacco Monopoly Bureau received a public tip that merchants in the Jianghan and Hongshan districts were selling large quantities of new types of vaping products such as “milk tea cups” and “cola cans,” which are explicitly banned by the state. Enforcement officers immediately joined with police to form a special task force and expand the investigation based on the lead.

On January 12, 2023, the task force seized more than 16,200 counterfeit vaping devices, vaping pods, and related hardware at three locations: a vape shop operated by Le Moulong near Jianghan 1st Road in Jianghan District, as well as a vehicle and warehouse linked to his upstream supplier surnamed Wang. The physical goods were valued at more than RMB 1.1 million, and Le Moulong and Wang were arrested on the spot.

Following the trail, the task force spent nearly a month investigating and accurately identified the upstream gang connected to the two suspects. On February 10, 2023, the task force carried out another coordinated raid, seizing more than 196,900 counterfeit vaping devices, vaping pods, and related hardware at two business premises and three storage sites in Wuhan. The goods were valued at more than RMB 16.22 million, and seven suspects, including Fu and Peng, were arrested at the scene.

On April 25, the task force traveled to Shenzhen to carry out a third concentrated enforcement operation. At an illegal production site and sales location, officers seized 59 units of e-liquid, 7 boxes of testing racks, 200 disposable e-cigarette batteries, 210 test tubes, 200 control boards, and 1 vaping draw-resistance tester, and arrested eight suspects including He Mouchun and Zhang Mouping. Through these three precision crackdowns, the details of Wuhan’s “1.12” counterfeit vaping product manufacturing and sales case gradually became clear, revealing an illegal network spanning eight provinces including Guangdong, Zhejiang, and Xinjiang. Eleven suspects have been placed under criminal detention.

This case is also the largest counterfeit vaping product case cracked this year in Wuhan through joint action between police and tobacco authorities, both in terms of quantity seized and value involved. (Text/Photos: Li Lei, Lu Zuli)