A group of gangs were arrested by drilling microscopic holes with a diameter of 0.2 mm into bottles of Moutai, known as China’s national liquor, and filling them with fake alcohol.
According to Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post (SCMP) on the 21st, Chinese media outlet Fengpai reported that authorities in China’s Zhejiang province recently confiscated dozens of bottles of fake Moutai and arrested two suspects in connection with it.
The suspects are accused of participating in the crime of drilling tiny holes in Moutai bottles, removing the actual contents and filling them with cheap alcohol instead.
Last month, authorities in Zhejiang Province began an investigation after receiving a tip from a liquor retailer that 95 bottles of Moutai purchased from a trading company in Ningbo were suspected to be fake. The market price of these Moutai is 250,000 yuan (about 46 million won).
A trading company in Ningbo told authorities it had purchased the liquor in question from peddlers who said they represented Kweichow Moutai, a Moutai manufacturer.
As a result of the authorities’ investigation, microscopic holes with a diameter of 0.2 mm were found in 76 Moutai bottles, and the bottles were filled with fake alcohol. The suspects carefully removed the label from the bottle, punched a hole in it, and then reapplied the label. A government official explained, “It will be difficult for general consumers as well as liquor industry salespeople to notice the hole.”
Guizhou Moutai’s representative product, Feitian Moutai, has an alcohol content of 53%, and a 500ml bottle costs about 3,000 yuan (about 550,000 won). This liquor, famous for being enjoyed by Mao Zedong, is consumed in China at various celebratory events such as weddings, employment, and promotions as well as state dinners. It is often used as entertainment for government officials or as a bribe.
Because it is so popular that even an empty bottle can be sold for $30 (about 40,000 won) online, several measures have been taken to prevent counterfeiting. In 1996, Guizhou Moutai launched the Moutai bottle, which can only be poured and cannot be refilled. Additionally, every Moutai bottle has a unique radio frequency identification code and individual serial number, SCMP said.
Song Chi-hoon,
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.