Cigarette gang busted in Cambodia; suspects, equipment return to China

Thirteen people suspected of being part of a transnational gang that manufactured and sold fake high-end domestic cigarettes worth more than 100 million yuan ($15 million), landed in Shanghai after a flight from Cambodia on Wednesday, police said on Thursday.

The cigarette-making machines used to produce the counterfeits were brought back with them, along with finished products of Chunghwa and Panda cigarettes.

The operation involved 47 Chinese citizens, according to police, and is the country's first cross-border fake cigarette case to be resolved through international cooperation. Raids were conducted on Jan 15, the Shanghai police said.