Quanzhou steps up joint efforts against maritime tobacco smuggling

Quanzhou in Fujian province has stepped up joint maritime law enforcement to curb tobacco smuggling, as smugglers adopt more concealed methods and pose growing challenges to coastal governance, local authorities said.

The coastal city, with nearly 500 kilometers of coastline, 11,360 square kilometers of sea area and 14 harbors, was once used as a transit point for illicit goods. Local coast guard and tobacco regulatory authorities have since deepened cooperation to target tobacco-related crimes at sea, including the smuggling of counterfeit cigarettes.

Zheng Lingyong, a law enforcement officer with the Quanzhou Coast Guard Bureau, said recent cases have highlighted the growing importance of cross-agency coordination.

The importance of such coordination was reflected in a recent case in neighboring Putian city. In the Jan 25 maritime counterfeit cigarette smuggling case, the authorities seized a smuggling vessel in waters near Putian city and confiscated 22.37 million counterfeit cigarettes, with the case valued at 23.38 million yuan ($3.45 million).

Policy support has also been strengthened. In December, a State Council executive meeting called for a full-chain crackdown on tobacco-related illegal activities. A guideline later issued by the General Office of the State Council urged targeted efforts to deepen cooperation among authorities including the coast guard and tobacco regulators.

Fujian coast guard and tobacco regulatory authorities have also advanced the "clear sources and break chains" special campaign, which aims to disrupt illegal tobacco networks from production and supply to distribution.

"Under Quanzhou's joint maritime anti-smuggling mechanism, coast guard and tobacco authorities have improved coordination in clue sharing, resource complementarity and joint case handling," Zheng said.