Police in Nianggong town of Pingtan county confiscated 439 cartons of illegal cigarettes – with an estimated worth of 100,000 yuan ($16,430) - on Dec 2.

The cigarettes were found inside two boxes in a van heading towards downtown Pingtan at 6 pm.

Police at a checkpoint at Haixia Bridge grew suspicious during a routine inspection, and they opened the boxes and found the cigarettes without legal procedures.

The driver and passengers in the van were apprehended, and the police said that the case is under investigation.

Edited by Chen Zhilin and Niva Whyman