Baiyun police tracked down six warehouses stocked with counterfeit cigarettes last month, seizing more than 10,000 cartons and arresting 11 people involved in the scam that collected over RMB1,600,000, according to the Yangcheng Evening News.
After receiving a tip from a local resident in April, police launched a thorough investigation of suspected storefronts and found that one 90-square-meter convenience store sold up to 1,000 cartons a day (an unreasonably large number for such a small shop). Officials also noted the packs were delivered by the same few workers each day, which triggered suspicion.
Upon further exploration, the family store’s million-yuan scheme gradually surfaced, leading police to six different storage locations filled with counterfeit packs of more than 200 different popular brands.
Those arrested include 35-year-old store owner Zhang Mouzhang, his 34-year-old wife Huang Mouzhen, her brothers 40-year-old Huang Mouxing and 35-year-old Huang Moushan (all from Zhangzhou, Fujian), as well as 30-year-old Chen Mouqiang of Lufeng, Guangdong.
According to Huang, she and her husband opened a legitimate tobacco shop in 2008, which they ran for six years. Yet due to fierce competition and poor business, the two decided to sell faux cigarettes starting in October 2015, which raised their profits to roughly RMB10,000 a day.
Since counterfeit cigarettes can cause adverse health effects, the Baiyun police have advised citizens to avoid purchasing packs at tiny mom-and-pop stores. Instead, seek out more dependable channels, like large supermarket chains, shopping malls or other shops with a visible tobacco retail license.
How can you spot a fake cigarette from a real one? Police offer the following tips:
1. Look: the tobacco in fake cigarettes is generally not as finely cut as in the real thing. Packaging is also less detailed, with uneven labels and messier adhesives.
2. Smell: the paper of fake cigarettes will have a strong odor, usually of ink and chemicals.
3. Touch: a real cigarette is smooth to the touch and can easily produce static electricity, whereas a fake version will be relatively rough.
4. Suction: a real cigarette will have a more pleasant aroma and odor than a counterfeited version and will cause relatively less irritation to the mouth and throat.
READ MORE: Identifying Real – and Fake – Gong Cha Shops
[Cover image via GB Times]
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