China Cracks Down on Tobacco Counterfeiters

Chinese authorities seized 2.1 million counterfeit cigarettes, nearly 100,000 metric tons of leaf tobacco and about 1,700 cigarette-making machines between 2017 and 2021, reports China Daily. They also detained 44,000 suspects. The law enforcement actions prevented CNY100 billion ($15 billion) in lost tax earnings, according to the Ministry of Public Security (MPS), which coordinated its campaign with the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration (STMA).

The joint crackdown targeted the production and distribution of counterfeit cigarettes in key areas. Authorities focused on disrupting the criminal networks’ logistics, strangling the supply of production materials for fake cigarettes at the source.

Officials insisted the crackdown on counterfeiting will continue, with emphasis on combating activities such as illegal sales of leaf tobacco and illegal transport of cigarettes, and on cutting off the underground supply chain for the production and sale of counterfeit cigarettes.