Empty bottles being resold at high prices - what undisclosed dealings are hidden behind this?

After obtaining discarded famous wine bottles through multiple channels,

they refill them with cheap white liquor and reseal them.

Subsequently, these fake wines

are sold at prices ranging from 500 to 1,000 yuan per bottle

through various food delivery platforms into the market.

…

Authentic bottles recovered at 10 to 15 yuan each, cleaned and refilled, are resold at prices between 60 and 120 yuan. These fake wines are then sold at high prices on e-commerce platforms, pretending to be genuine original products. In this gray chain of “recovery—refilling—sales,” huge profits and fraud quietly emerge. Prosecutors from Cuiping District People’s Procuratorate in Yibin City, Sichuan Province, filed a public prosecution. On November 20, 2025, the court sentenced Luo Mouyi and Tian Mou to fixed-term imprisonment of three years and one year and six months respectively for the crimes of illegal manufacturing and sale of illegally manufactured registered trademark marks, both with probation, and imposed fines. They were also banned from working in the industry during the probation period. Both defendants pleaded guilty and waived their right to appeal in court.

From dining tables to fake production workshops

A set of wine bottles worth over a hundred yuan

In May 2025, the Food and Drug Crime Investigation Brigade of Yibin Public Security Bureau received a tip-off that a local scrap recycling station was selling discarded packaging materials of well-known white wines, used to produce fake wines.

After filing a case, investigations revealed that Luo Moujia, the person in charge of the scrap recycling station, and his son Luo Mouyi, who contracted the scrap collection business for a large hotel from May 2022 to April 2025 at 3,700 yuan per month, collected large quantities of bottles, caps, paper boxes, and other waste materials. “Famous wine bottles like Moutai and Wuliangye are bought for 1 to 10 yuan, far above normal recycling prices. If these bottles have caps and packaging, a set can sell for 10 to 15 yuan,” Luo Mouyi explained. He discovered that bottles and packaging of famous white wines had higher profit margins, leading him to carefully select and classify discarded bottles, then sell them to Tian.

Tian’s source of fake wine packaging was not limited to Luo Mouyi but extended to sanitation workers, hotels, and other recycling channels. After cleaning, sorting, and assembling the empty bottles and packaging into sets, he sold each set for 60 to 120 yuan to Tang Moujia. Tang would then refill these bottles with cheap white liquor, repackage them using anti-counterfeiting labels, tape, and shopping bags purchased online. Later, these fake wines, handled by Tang Mouyi, Jiang Mou, Li Mou, and others, were sold at prices from 500 to 1,000 yuan per bottle through multiple food delivery platforms into the market.

“I made fake high-end white wine labels that look identical to registered trademarks, hard to tell apart with the naked eye,” Tang Moujia admitted after being caught. From collecting bottles, cleaning, assembling, to packaging and selling—Luo Mouyi and six others gradually formed a fake production and sales chain.

Silent complicity in transactions

“Tacit accomplices” in the crime chain

In August 2025, authorities transferred Luo Mouyi, Tian, Luo Moujia, and others to Cuiping District Procuratorate for suspected crimes of illegal manufacturing and sale of illegally manufactured registered trademark marks.

“I just do small business in recycling and selling waste,” Luo Mouyi initially claimed, saying he was unaware of the purpose of others purchasing discarded packaging materials. “Whether Luo Mouyi knew that others used these for fake wine production when reselling is key to this case,” said the investigating prosecutor. During the investigation, authorities further examined Luo Mouyi’s methods of collecting white wine waste, discovering that he had special requirements for the bottles—such as clean cartons and shopping bags, and not damaging the box when opening the sealed bags.

During a comprehensive review of evidence, prosecutors noted chat and transfer records between Luo Moujia and his father. “Today, someone took a bag of ‘old-style bottom,’ 200 yuan, the classmate who makes fake wine,” Luo Moujia messaged Luo Mouyi while transferring 200 yuan. “Old-style bottom” is their jargon referring to old packaging of white wine brands. The authorities ultimately found that Luo Mouyi, after collecting waste from a large hotel, sorted out the better-condition bottles and packaging, selling them at prices far above normal waste bottles, and maintained long-term, stable, large-volume transactions with Tian and Tang.

Prosecutors believe that although Luo Mouyi and Tian did not directly produce fake wine, their long-term involvement in trading discarded packaging, with clear knowledge that it would be used for counterfeiting, made them “silent accomplices” in the crime chain. Despite the recycling process being technically separate from the final sale, they played a crucial role as the supply source for the entire fake wine production. Luo Mouyi’s illegal business amounted to over 70,000 yuan, which is considered serious, while Tian’s illegal business was over 210,000 yuan, deemed particularly serious.

Legal judgments on crime and punishment

Inviting experts with specialized knowledge to testify

In September 2025, Cuiping District Procuratorate filed a public prosecution against Luo Mouyi and Tian for suspected crimes of illegal manufacturing and sale of illegally manufactured registered trademark marks. On November 20, the case was heard in Cuiping District Court.

At the court session on November 20, 2025, prosecutors supported the public prosecution.

During the trial, prosecutors detailed the motives, methods, and illegal chain of the crimes, analyzing the facts and charges thoroughly. “The two recovered genuine packaging not for reuse but to deceive consumers, infringing on the trademark rights and undermining the basic recognition function of trademarks, turning what should represent product origin and quality assurance into tools for profit,” the prosecutor stated. They pointed out the clear malicious intent of the defendants, aiming to produce counterfeit high-end white wine, and their actions severely infringed on trademark rights.

“Using others’ registered trademarks to produce goods that imitate the registered trademarks’ products, causing consumers to mistakenly believe the source, is deceptive,” said a court-appointed expert from the National Intellectual Property Expert Database, providing professional clarification on the meaning of “illegal manufacturing.”

Faced with the prosecution’s charges, Luo Mouyi and Tian pleaded guilty and accepted punishment. The court rendered the aforementioned verdict. Due to Luo Moujia’s minor involvement, being an accessory, and his confession, remorse, and return of illegal gains, the procuratorate decided not to prosecute him.

In August 2025, authorities transferred Jiang and Li to court for suspected sales of counterfeit registered trademark goods. After prosecution, Jiang was sentenced to 1 year and 3 months in prison and fined, while Li received 1 year and 6 months and a fine, with Li’s sentence suspended. On September 19, 2025, the prosecution filed charges against Tang for suspected counterfeit trademark crimes, and on September 22, against Tang Mouyi for suspected sales of counterfeit trademark goods. The case is still under further investigation.

“The idea that every recovered and resold empty bottle becomes part of the fake wine crime chain will harm the interests of law-abiding businesses and consumers. Prosecutor support not only effectively combats crime but also serves as a vivid lesson in the rule of law. Behind each small bottle lies the effort to maintain industry health and optimize the business environment,” said Wei Qin, a National People’s Congress delegate and professor at Yibin University, after observing the court proceedings.

“Currently, intellectual property crimes are becoming more large-scale, chain-linked, and covert, with criminal methods constantly evolving,” said Luo Fugui, deputy procurator-general of Cuiping District Procuratorate in Yibin. “The procuratorate will continue to crack down severely on crimes infringing on well-known trademarks, purify market competition, and protect the legitimate rights and interests of enterprises and consumers.”

Full media reporter: Li Min

Correspondent: You Xia, Li Shuangshuang

Source: Supreme People’s Procuratorate