Customs bust cigarette smuggling gangs in China

NANNING -- Customs in Nanning, capital of South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, busted two cigarette smuggling gangs and nabbed five suspects, the customs said Wednesday.

The gangs bought large quantities of counterfeit cigarettes of well-known brands in some Southeast Asian countries and smuggled them into China by sea through Qinzhou city and other coastal regions in Guangxi.

They were suspected of smuggling cigarettes worth about 18 million yuan (about $2.57 million) since November 2019, according to the customs.

Further investigation is underway.