The police recently made significant progress in a case concerning counterfeit e-cigarettes following a father’s alarming discovery. Zhang, the father of a 10-year-old boy, found his son smoking a toy-like e-cigarette flavored with fruity tastes, which is illegal to produce and sell. This prompted him to alert the authorities.

Investigations linked the e-cigarette to a local convenience store, which was found to be selling a large quantity of counterfeit products primarily aimed at young consumers. Law enforcement subsequently apprehended the store’s owner, who pointed fingers at a woman named Li, stating she was the supplier of the illicit e-cigarettes.

Further inquiry revealed that Li had been actively promoting these counterfeit e-cigarettes through her WeChat account and various group chats. This led police to a workshop in Huizhou, Guangdong Province, responsible for manufacturing these products. The operation was dismantled, resulting in the seizure of nearly 50,000 counterfeit e-cigarettes valued at around 20 million yuan (approximately $2.8 million), and 21 suspects were taken into custody as the investigation continues.