Reborn Cat Sheriff

Chapter 494 Selling Cigarettes
Lin Ge's attention was not on the young man named Xu Yang, even though he was the one who charged ahead and shouted the loudest at the police.

As for his claims that the police have no right to restrict other people's freedom, Lin Ge just listened and let it go.

Having spent so much time at the police station, Lin Ge had taken in quite a bit of the National Police Law. Generally speaking, citizens and organizations should provide support and assistance to the police when they are performing their duties; this is written into the law. In cases of obstructing police enforcement or refusing to cooperate, the police usually tolerate it, but if you go too far… arresting you and keeping you in jail for a few days is not out of the question.

This joint drug enforcement operation, conducted by the First Squadron of the Municipal Public Security Bureau's Criminal Investigation Detachment and the Second Detachment of the Narcotics Control Branch, required citizens within the target area to cooperate and provide identity verification. This was a legal and compliant order. Furthermore, it wasn't about detaining everyone inside; a mere dozen or so police officers couldn't do that. The key was simply requiring those leaving to provide personal identification or undergo facial recognition, etc. Everyone queuing in order wouldn't take too long. The targets of this verification were those with drug use or rehabilitation records, as well as criminal records. For ordinary people who aren't guilty, what's wrong with waiting a little longer?

Why insist on forcing your way in like this? Isn't there something fishy going on?
Lin Ge squinted at Xu Yang and several people of similar age behind him. After a while, he finally followed their furtive glances and saw a slightly plump middle-aged woman hiding in the shadows behind a tree not far away.

A red minivan was standing in front of the woman, positioned at the corner between the car and a tree. The light from the streetlights in the distance was blocked by the trees and the car, so much so that unless someone walked right by, they might not be able to spot her hiding in the shadows.

While Xu Yang and his group were arguing with the police and putting pressure on them, they couldn't help but glance back at the woman out of guilt. Lin Ge saw this clearly. Even though it was dark there, the woman was still clearly visible to Lin Ge.

"Why wouldn't she accept an identity check? Why did she force the police to open the checkpoint ahead of time? The most likely explanation is that this woman's identity cannot withstand scrutiny, or that she is the kind of person whose flaws can be easily discovered with a simple check?"

Lin Ge immediately understood, patted Qiqi's head, and gestured for it to go to Shao Yongkang's side.

"Mimi, what did you find?"

Shao Yongkang was also watching the increasingly heated argument over there. He noticed that more and more people were being urged by the young men and women to leave immediately. At this moment, he frowned and was feeling rather annoyed.

However, when Lin Ge leaned closer and also stared in that direction, Shao Yongkang suddenly narrowed his eyes in realization. Mimi's proactive warning meant that this wasn't a normal dispute between the public and the police. Although trouble from the public was still a problem for police officers, the person who had stepped forward first seemed highly suspicious. Considering his mission at the night market, Shao Yongkang immediately understood.

So he waved to his men, signaling them to lead the team to suppress the troublemakers over there.

Seeing Shao Yongkang rushing forward, Lin Ge quickly stopped him.

Although the woman was standing in a somewhat secluded spot, it shouldn't be impossible for her not to see him, right? At least for Lin Ge, he could clearly see the woman pacing nervously over there, even though it was indeed very dark.

Lin Ge stared at Shao Yongkang speechlessly, then raised his paw and pointed at that shadowy corner.

"Hmm? Is there anything over there?"

Shao Yongkang followed Lin Ge's gaze, but it was pitch black and he couldn't see anything there. However, since Mimi said there was a problem over there, Shao Yongkang wouldn't pretend nothing was wrong. He beckoned Zhong Kai and Zhuang Tao'er over and gestured to the dark corner.

The two observed carefully and soon Zhuang Tao'er noticed something unusual; there seemed to be someone hiding over there.

Without further hesitation, the two men tidied up their equipment, grabbed their batons and flashlights, and quietly made their way into the shadows.

After thinking for a moment, Lin Ge instructed Qi Qi to follow.

He followed Zhong Kai and Zhuang Tao'er into the shadows, carefully moving quickly towards their target. Then, without any surprises, the two quickly appeared in front of their target, cornering the slightly plump woman under the tree.

"Is...is there something you need?"

The moment the police appeared, the slightly overweight woman's face turned deathly pale. She instinctively tried to open the car door and hide inside, but Zhuang Tao'er grabbed the door, leaving her no choice but to feign innocence and ask again.

"Police are investigating a case. Please cooperate. Please show me your ID card, thank you."

Zhuang Tao'er didn't make a move immediately, but instead bowed to the woman.

"I...I didn't bring it!"

"A driver's license is also acceptable."

"I didn't bring it either."

"Electronic driver's license via mobile phone!"

"No...I don't know how to use that thing!"

"Oh, driving without a license?"

Zhuang Tao'er glanced at the woman with a smile, realizing that this woman seemed to have no intention of cooperating at all.

Even so, Zhuang Tao'er wasn't angry. Over the past few months, she had received ample training in the criminal investigation team, and during every arrest operation, nine out of ten suspects would claim they didn't have their ID cards with them—she had become accustomed to it.

Moreover, Zhuang Tao'er also understood a principle: getting angry at this time would only affect her mood and would not help in solving the case.

"Hehe... You didn't bring this or that. Then please tell me your name. You don't even know your own name, do you?"

"Xiong Yan".

The woman was speechless, knowing that shaking her head at this point would be too foolish, so she could only honestly confess.

"What are you doing? What are you doing here at this hour?"

Since Xiong Yan had already spoken, she couldn't continue to play dumb. She could only lower her head honestly and say, "I'm just a businessman, a small business. It's lively and crowded here at night, so I set up a stall to earn a little money. Officer, I'm really not a bad person."

Zhuang Tao'er said expressionlessly, "Whether someone is good or bad is not for you to decide! Of course, it's not for me to decide either; it's for the law to decide! We are currently enforcing the law and strictly investigating all kinds of violations and illegal activities. Please cooperate. You said you set up a stall, where is your stall and the things you sell?"

Xiong Yan's expression changed slightly. She looked at Zhuang Tao'er, then at Zhong Kai, who was blocking her way, and caught a glimpse of a police dog standing on the other side of the car. She could only lower her head again.

Then, under Zhuang Tao's orders, she obediently opened the trunk of the van, revealing a mobile, modular trolley filled with various goods such as cigarettes, e-cigarettes, and lighters.

In one corner of the trunk, there were seven or eight white briefcases stacked together. After Zhong Kai opened them, he found that the upper and lower compartments were also filled with various cigarettes secured by ropes. At first glance, they looked quite like the kind of equipment carried by the cigarette-selling kids in old Shanghai TV dramas.

Zhong Kai rummaged through the cigarettes but found nothing unusual. They were all ordinary cigarettes, ranging from tens to over a hundred yuan, only the prices were much higher than in normal supermarkets. He also picked up and examined a row of metal e-cigarettes displayed along the bottom of the cart, but found nothing unusual there either. Even the various e-liquids and cartridges underneath were readily available elsewhere; he found nothing special.

"Selling cigarettes? Do you have a tobacco license?"

"..."

Xiong Yan fell silent.

Zhuang Tao'er was somewhat disappointed when she saw that this woman was just a middleman who resold cigarettes.

To be honest, cigarettes sold in KTVs and bars are more expensive. These kinds of people hang around in various bars and KTVs, and it's common for people to buy from them. Besides, no matter how serious this matter is, it only falls under the jurisdiction of the tobacco bureau and doesn't require the involvement of the criminal investigation team.

However, Zhong Kai was thinking more deeply, especially since this woman was also selling e-cigarettes and accessories, which aligned with the current drug bust. While logically there was nothing wrong with a middleman selling cigarettes, was the profit really worth competing with bars and KTVs for business? Not to mention that Mimi was the one who first alerted them, and even now Mimi is still watching this woman; there's no doubt this woman is involved.

"Hand over what you're hiding, and I'll consider it a confession, okay?" Zhong Kai decided to bluff her.

"..."

Xiong Yan remained silent, only secretly turning her head to look at the noisy area. She saw that the people causing trouble had been suppressed by the police who had arrived, and they were all squatting obediently to the side like quails. Her face turned ashen.

She shakily lifted a corner of the trunk floor mat, revealing the space where the spare tire should have been. But the spare tire was gone, replaced by a pile of small, unlabeled plastic bags. These bags looked exactly like the e-cigarette cartridges on the trolley, but without any text or pictures. A foul odor wafted out as the mat was lifted, causing Lin Ge to quickly pull Qiqi back.

"Woo... woof!"

Having received anti-drug training, Qiqi is very sensitive to unusual smells. Even though the smell was not from any of the drugs it had learned about, it still made the corresponding gestures and sounds to warn others.

"Ha ha……"

Zhong Kai shook his head and laughed.

He never imagined that after searching for so long tonight, their target would only be discovered thanks to Mimi's warning. Moreover, the target wasn't someone using this new type of drug-laced e-cigarette in the night market as the intelligence suggested; rather, someone had somehow obtained this new product and was secretly selling it in this chaotic area, where customers were most likely to be. They hadn't quite caught on in time, and she almost got away.

Of course, it wasn't really going to let her escape. From the moment she was trapped in the encirclement, it was destined that she couldn't truly escape.

"Team Leader Lei! Team Leader Shao! We've caught the culprit!"

After shouting into the walkie-talkie, Zhong Kai's mood improved significantly.

"I've also made some gains!"

Shao Yongkang looked at Xu Yang and the others who were squatting on the ground with a smile.

……

Although they arrested so many people and successfully apprehended the target, the large group did not immediately call it a day, but continued to inspect the night market street.

Soon, in a bar at the end of the street, they found another guy with a history of drug use who was clearly acting strangely. With that, everyone had their fill and decided to call it a day, quickly regrouping at the city police station.

Those who sell sex or solicit prostitutes are handled by specialists, so Shao Yongkang doesn't need to worry about it. Lei Hanqin also has specialists responsible for ordinary drug users and those who sell nitrous oxide. So, with nothing else to do, the two men went straight to the interrogation room to watch the spectacle.

The other targets were all fine; even the drug trafficking mastermind, Xiong Yan, honestly confessed everything. The only one in trouble was the target assigned to veteran detective Fang Zhengyi and rookie Zhuang Tao'er—that guy named Xu Yang.

The purpose of assigning Zhuang Tao'er to conduct the interrogation was to cultivate her skills in this area. However, when facing Zhuang Tao'er, the young man vehemently denied any drug involvement while simultaneously trying to establish a connection with her. He shifted all the blame onto Xiong Yan, claiming he was simply an unemployed person looking for odd jobs. He said he was just honestly following Xiong Yan's instructions, secretly wandering around various bars and selling cigarettes to those in need. As for the cigarette powder, he claimed to be completely unaware of it.

"It's all Xiong Lijuan's fault! Xiong Yan is her sister, and it was Xiong Lijuan who introduced me to this job! I only worked for her because I trusted my old classmate, and I had no idea they were selling these illegal things behind my back!"

Xu Yang burst into tears, a stark contrast to his previous cheerful demeanor.

"Heh... Xu Yang! What era are we living in? What's the point of denying it outright? Which bar doesn't have security cameras? Do you think it will take us too long to find the person you sold cigarettes to? Once we find the buyer and investigate, it will be clear what you were selling! At that time, can you afford the consequences of lying? Confess and you'll be treated leniently; resist and you'll be punished severely! For the sake of our classmates, I'll give you one more chance!"

Zhuang Tao'er spoke sternly, already displaying the image of an excellent police officer.

In the monitoring room outside, Shao Yongkang smiled and nodded repeatedly. He knew that Zhuang Tao'er was a girl worth cultivating, and it was worth all the effort he had put into tricking her away from the Economic Investigation Department.

"Tsk tsk! We brought back a good-for-nothing, but we'll return a talented person. Wang Guofeng is really making a killing! I've raised his daughter to be so outstanding, Wang Guofeng will definitely thank me properly and bring a few bottles of good wine over."

Shao Yongkang thought shamelessly, while Xu Yang inside also quickly collapsed under Zhuang Tao'er's linguistic artistry and obediently admitted defeat.

However, despite confessing to selling unidentified cigarette cartridges in the bar on Xiong Yan's orders, he still refused to admit to drug trafficking. He even repeatedly stated that he knew the law and had searched the national drug list online to confirm that what he was selling was not on the list. Therefore, Xu Yang only admitted to being suspected of illegally selling drugs, and that he was merely a low-level accomplice acting under orders, not the mastermind, and should not be unreasonably punished.

"Like the other six, they all know the law! All seven of them are college students, and they all know that Yitomizhi is not a drug and will not be punished for drug trafficking. Heh... They're all smart people! The only one who thought he was a drug dealer was actually that woman named Xiong Yan! She really thought she was a drug dealer, and as soon as she came in, she quickly confessed everything clearly. This idiot even took a lot of the blame for the seven people's crimes, really thinking she was the mastermind."

Lei Hanqin stood to the side, sneering. He already knew the true situation of the eight people inside.

"Xiong Yan is indeed the head of this gang, or rather, the leader in name only. She knew she was trafficking drugs and that it was a serious crime, but she was willing to break the law for money! She also took 40% of the illegal profits from the sale of Mizi cigarette cartridges, so much so that she bought a minivan with her monthly income and planned to expand the business. In this respect, the evidence against her as the mastermind is indeed conclusive."

Seeing Shao Yongkang staring at him with a half-smile, Lei Hanqin shook his head and said, "But what she doesn't know is that Xiong Lijuan, who is in charge of sourcing the goods from other places, has increased the cost of the illegal cigarette cartridges fivefold! In other words, although Xiong Lijuan still makes the lion's share, the other members of the gang are also making a considerable profit. These guys are using Xiong Yan as a shield, and even taking advantage of the fact that the country hasn't yet classified methcathinone as a drug, they are ambitiously trying to dominate the entire drug market in Zhangzhou! In the end, the sourcing channels, sales, and even contacting buyers will all be handled by their own people. And Xiong Yan, this boss... is just a figurehead boss who enjoys the profits and pushes a small cart around as a show of authority."

"Like some company legal representatives? From the moment they take on this position, are they just there to collect money for nothing and then be responsible for going to jail?"

Shao Yongkang used an analogy that greatly displeased the police.

However, Lei Hanqin had to agree after thinking about it; Shao Yongkang's analogy was very apt. Xiong Yan was chosen by this gang so that she could take responsibility should they be arrested in the future! Even Xiong Yan herself believed that she should bear this responsibility.

"Damn it! All that studying has turned us into such a bunch of shrewd people!"

Shao Yongkang shook his head speechlessly.

Lei Hanqin frowned and said, "But I have to admit, their cleverness is very effective. They specifically chose naive fools to take the blame. As long as Xiong Yan insists on admitting that she is the leader of the gang, we really can't punish the others too severely! After all, regardless of the circumstances, etomidate is not currently considered a drug, so it can only be punished as illegal business operations. As the leader, Xiong Yan will definitely bear very serious punishment or even a fine, but the rest of the gang will likely only receive a suspended sentence. Heh... Damn it! Drug trafficking! And a lot of it! But only a suspended sentence! When will the country finally put etomidate on the drug list? This stuff is too dangerous!"

In the end, Lei Hanqin couldn't help but curse a few times.

It's incredibly frustrating to see criminals exploiting loopholes in the law, and for those of us to be unable to impose more severe punishments on them.

More importantly, since the invention and widespread use of e-cigarettes, many controlled substances that were previously difficult to classify as drugs have now become potentially classified as drugs!

The combustion and smoking function of e-cigarettes, along with their portability and easy replacement of tobacco, have made them a serious accomplice in the spread of drugs!

Lei Hanqin even had a feeling that, perhaps at some point, e-cigarettes would become the most troublesome and hated substance for their anti-drug department. With complete manufacturing processes and packaging, and possibly even the ability to evade inspection and police dogs, e-cigarette cartridges would definitely cause immense trouble for anti-drug work! At that time, the work of cracking down on e-cigarette-based general-purpose chemical drugs might even cause all anti-drug police officers to lament and complain, and might even cause the drug problem that had been painstakingly suppressed in the country to resurface.

The thought of this possibility gave Lei Hanqin a headache, and he even had an urge to slap himself.

"Why did I choose to join the anti-drug department in the first place? Sigh!"

At this moment, Chen Liang pushed open the door and came in. After saluting the two, he reported the situation, which turned out to be Xiong Lijuan, who was in charge of purchasing goods, and had also been successfully captured.

However, just like the seven people in the interrogation room now, Xiong Lijuan also pushed all the blame onto her own sister, Xiong Yan, saying that everything, including finding the supplier, was Xiong Yan's idea and instruction.

"damn thing!"

Shao Yongkang couldn't help but grit his teeth and curse.

(End of this chapter)