Illegal vape operation worth over RMB 1 million busted in Huining, Gansu

Recently, the Huining County Public Security Bureau successfully cracked an illegal vaping devices operation, arresting four criminal suspects. Police dismantled a supply chain involved in the manufacturing and sale of counterfeit and substandard vaping devices, shut down two production and sales sites, seized five mobile phones used in the operation, and confiscated more than 15,000 finished vaping devices and over 30,000 loose parts at the scene. The case involves more than RMB 1 million.

In mid-July, the Public Security Brigade of the Huining County Public Security Bureau received a lead transferred by the county tobacco bureau for verification, indicating that suspects were allegedly selling large quantities of counterfeit and substandard vaping devices online. After receiving the report, the brigade immediately organized officers to verify the lead and launch an investigation.

Investigators used sales payments and logistics flows as key breakthrough points. Through lead sorting, field checks, and analysis, they uncovered a criminal gang involved in the illegal production and sale of counterfeit and substandard vaping devices, spanning production, sales, and other links, with operations originating in Guangdong and reaching multiple provinces and cities nationwide. After fully identifying the roles of those involved, the criminal facts, and the gang’s operating patterns, the Public Security Brigade recently split into multiple teams to raid several illegal vape processing, manufacturing, and storage sites in Shenzhen, Guangdong, while also deploying officers to make arrests in Huzhou, Zhejiang, and Foshan and Dongguan in Guangdong.

Investigation showed that, in pursuit of illegal profits, the gang set up vape production sites in places including Dongguan, Guangdong, and illegally provided vape processing and manufacturing services to upstream distributors under a supplied-materials processing model. They then conducted illegal online transactions of vaping devices through platforms such as Taobao and WeChat. Preliminary estimates place the value involved at more than RMB 1 million. At present, the four suspects have been placed under criminal compulsory measures by the Huining County Public Security Bureau in accordance with the law, and the case is under further investigation.