159 Bottles of Moutai Seized in Cross-Province Operation Found Missing Years Later, Police Respond

According to a report, in 2023, police from Gong County, Yibin City, Sichuan province traveled to Shenyang to investigate counterfeit Wuliangye products and seized 159 bottles of Kweichow Moutai Co.,Ltd. (ASX: 600519) liquor. This year, the merchant discovered that several of the seized bottles were missing or had been emptied. On June 17, the Supervision and Audit Unit of the Yibin Municipal Public Security Bureau responded that an internal investigation is underway.

On June 16, a merchant couple from Shenyang, Liaoning province, surnamed He, reported that in 2023, Gong County police seized 159 bottles of their Kweichow Moutai Co.,Ltd. (ASX: 600519) stock during the counterfeit Wuliangye investigation. Subsequently, Mr. He was prosecuted on suspicion of selling counterfeit liquor.

On May 20 of this year, accompanied by their attorney, the couple went to the Food, Drug, and Environmental Crime Investigation Unit of the Gong County Public Security Bureau to inspect the seized items. They discovered that multiple high-value bottles of Kweichow Moutai Co.,Ltd. (ASX: 600519) were missing, and some had been opened and emptied. Police officers present could not provide a reasonable explanation for this situation.

Regarding whether the actions of the Gong County police involved any violations or misconduct, a staff member from the Supervision and Audit Unit of the Yibin Municipal Public Security Bureau responded on June 17 that an internal investigation is being conducted.

When contacted, a staff member from the Political Department of the Gong County Public Security Bureau stated that media interviews require approval from the provincial department.

The report indicates the case has undergone eight court hearings and is still under trial. Due to the significant number of missing Kweichow Moutai Co.,Ltd. (ASX: 600519) bottles that were key evidence, Mr. He applied for an authenticity appraisal. During a hearing on May 21 of this year, the judge responded that the application to appraise the Kweichow Moutai Co.,Ltd. (ASX: 600519) liquor was denied as it was deemed unrelated to the current charges, which were not brought by the prosecution.