52 arrested! Shandong Jining police dismantle cross-provincial gang selling new high-inducing e-ciga

According to official information from the “China Narcotics Control” public account, after a year of sustained efforts, police in Jiaxiang County, Jining City, Shandong Province, successfully dismantled a new-type drug trafficking gang spanning 15 counties and cities across 11 provinces (autonomous regions). The so-called “high-inducing e-cigarettes” sold by the gang were actually e-liquid containing synthetic cannabinoids.
A total of 52 drug-related suspects were arrested in the case. Among them, criminal compulsory measures have been taken against 32 people, and 20 drug users were identified. Seized items included 699 grams of cannabis e-liquid, more than 100 “small branches,” one handgun, and one set of filling tools.
According to relevant reports, on August 9, 2022, police in Jiaxiang County, Jining, discovered clues during routine work pointing to a case involving “high-inducing e-cigarettes.” They subsequently arrested four drug-related suspects led by a man surnamed Chen and found e-cigarettes and bottled liquid during an on-site search. Testing confirmed that the liquids contained new psychoactive substances in the form of synthetic cannabinoids.
The report noted that following the initial arrests, police used the suspects already in custody as a breakthrough point and traveled to Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Hunan, and other places to carry out in-depth investigation and enforcement actions. After further investigation, authorities found that since July 2021, suspects Liu and Li had repeatedly sold e-liquid containing synthetic cannabinoids to more than 80 drug-related individuals in 15 counties and cities across 11 provinces (autonomous regions), including Shandong, Jilin, Liaoning, Henan, and Xinjiang.
Because the case covered a wide geographic area, involved a large number of people, and had a significant impact, the special task force moved quickly, splitting into five arrest teams that were dispatched to 15 counties and cities in 11 provinces (autonomous regions), including Liaoning, Henan, and Xinjiang, to carry out coordinated arrests. By the end of March 2023, all 52 suspects involved in the case had been successfully apprehended.