Pigs and explosions down on the farm—but this was no pop concert

The tobacco monopoly administration of Shantou, Guangdong Province, and local government agencies blew up a facility destined to be used for the production of fake cigarettes at Xinmin village on Saturday, according to a China Daily story quoting the Southern Metropolis Daily.

Explosives were used to destroy the production site, which was said to have been located in a cave seven meters under a hill, because there were no roads that could be used to bring in the big machinery that otherwise would have been needed to destroy it.

The entrance to the cave allowed only one person to go through at a time.

The machines that would have been used to produce the fake cigarettes had been assembled inside the cave and were still being tested ahead of manufacturing operations.

The authorities had received tip-offs about the site many times but had previously failed to spot it.

They received the latest clue on Thursday and on Saturday found the site, which was sheltered by a pig farm and a fruit farm.