Fake liquor racket shut down by police
A total of 47 suspects have been caught in a fake Moutai and Wuliangye racket, which also involved about 30 staff members from local salons and hotels, Shanghai police said on Thursday.
The hotel and salon workers allegedly collected used baijiu bottles from their customers, and then provided these bottles to other suspects who refilled them with cheap, inferior liquor.
The authentic counterparts of the fake baijiu the gang sold are estimated to be worth over 60 million yuan (US$8.5 million).
Police in Songjiang District said they started investigating the matter in May, after cracking a related case involving fake baijiu. The fakes in this initial case all came from the same source and their packaging resembled authentic bottles.
Police said the fake baijiu was produced in Shanghai, and the leading suspect in the case had opened a liquor shop to sell the bogus liquor.
The suspects were caught in different locations in Shanghai between August and October. Police also uncovered 2,300 bottles of fake baijiu, as well as about 800 empty.
Eight of the suspects have been arrested for allegedly infringing registered brands, nine are under detention and 30 others have been put on bail, police said.
