Hunan Investigated 102 Vaping-Related Cases in the First Half of the Year

On July 31, the province-wide summary meeting for the “Sky Net 2023” special campaign, along with a work promotion conference on combating tobacco-related illegal and criminal activities, was held in Yiyang, Hunan. Since the launch of the “Sky Net 2023” special campaign, the province has investigated 4,666 tobacco-related cases of various types, seized 74.8186 million counterfeit and illicit cigarettes, and cracked 21 major cases at level four or above, including 2 cases supervised by the Ministry of Public Security and the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration, and 1 case commended in a congratulatory letter by the Ministry of Public Security and the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration.

Scene from the province-wide summary meeting for the “Sky Net 2023” special campaign and the work promotion conference on combating tobacco-related illegal and criminal activities. Photo by Liu Jiayi

Public security and tobacco authorities at all levels across the province have incorporated the fight against tobacco-related illegal and criminal activities into Safe City/Prefecture construction and the performance assessment systems for public security and market regulation departments. They have established coordination mechanisms and achieved major breakthroughs in uncovering “investment partners, local protectors, production managers, equipment technicians, and downstream distributors,” as well as in anti-counterfeiting and network dismantling efforts, solving a number of key cases. Hunan’s “police-tobacco” cooperation has also entered a new normal.

Attendees visited the exhibition showcasing the province’s achievements in combating tobacco-related illegal and criminal activities. Photo by Liu Jiayi

Since the launch of the “Sky Net 2023” special campaign, full-chain regulation of vaping products has achieved new breakthroughs. The Provincial Public Security Department, Provincial Tobacco Bureau, and Provincial Administration for Market Regulation jointly established an enforcement mechanism and issued a regulatory task list, effectively addressing supervision challenges involving new illegal products such as “milk tea cups” and “cola cans.” Together with the Provincial Procuratorate and the Provincial High Court, they also held discussions on legal application and evidentiary standards, promoting the institutionalization, standardization, and long-term implementation of coordination between administrative enforcement and criminal justice in vaping-related cases, and achieving full-chain connectivity in the transfer, prosecution, and adjudication of criminal cases involving vaping products. In the first half of the year, the province investigated 102 vaping-related cases and seized nearly 500,000 illegal vaping products, along with 2 tons of nicotine and aerosol substances.

Public security and tobacco authorities at all levels across the province have also strengthened channel and platform supervision. Relying on a tobacco-related intelligence analysis platform, they seized 2,066 packages of counterfeit and illicit cigarettes in the delivery and logistics segment and confiscated 7.04 million counterfeit and illicit cigarettes in the first half of the year. At the same time, they have continued to strengthen enforcement against illegal tobacco sales through livestreaming and social platforms, advancing integrated online-offline crackdowns and cleaning up the online environment.