Police in the southwestern city of Chengdu have arrested five people for illegally selling e-cigarettes online despite a government ban, the official media arm of the Supreme People’s Procuratorate reported Tuesday.

The five suspects allegedly used online platforms, including discussion boards on Baidu Tieba and messaging platform WeChat, to advertise and deliver e-cigarette products with a total value of 3.12 million yuan ($450,000), according to the report.

The suspects are being charged with “illegal business operation,” according to the prosecutor for the case.

China has roughly 10 million e-cigarette users, 45.4% of whom obtained their vaping products online. In November, the country’s state tobacco monopoly and market regulator banned the online sale and promotion of e-cigarettes to keep them away from minors. (Image: IC)