Over 21K ‘counterfeit’ mooncakes seized at factory in China, worth over S$367K

Police seize ‘counterfeit’ mooncakes at China factory and arrest 6 suspects

Mooncakes are at the centre of controversy again after police in China busted a counterfeit mooncake operation.

With the Mid-Autumn Festival approaching on 17 Sep, demand for mooncakes is through the roof.

Last month, however, Chinese authorities in Guangzhou received a tip-off about a workshop creating “counterfeit” mooncakes.

According to the Yangcheng Evening News, the police raided three illegal mooncake “dens” responsible for production, packaging, and sales.

In these factories, they arrested six suspects and seized over 21,000 counterfeit mooncakes alongside tools used in their production.

Singtao reported that the suspects disguised the mooncakes as being part of famous and more expensive mooncake brands.

The ripoff mooncakes were also packed in falsely labelled packaging and boxes that looked practically indistinguishable from the real deal.

About 5,000 completed mooncake boxes were also seized by the police.

The items confiscated during the operation reportedly amounted to about 2 million yuan (S$367,000)

A 38-year-old suspect told the police that he rented an old factory building in July to produce the fake mooncakes. He also hired two workers to pack and seal the unbranded mooncakes.

They could then sell the counterfeit mooncakes as branded ones and profit from them.

Also read: S’pore Mooncake Scam Cost 27 Victims S$325K, Police Warn Against Clicking Suspicious ‘Payment’ Links

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Featured image adapted from Weibo via China Press.