China arrests 15 for making bogus liquor brands

SHANGHAI— Chinese police have arrested 15 people suspected of producing more than 55,000 counterfeit bottles of brands of fine alcohol, which enabled them to sell off poor quality booze at higher prices, the Xinhua news agency reported. Police in Quanzhou city, in the province of Fujian, broke up three gangs running shops that made fake bottles of several famous brands of baijiu, a fiery Chinese spirit, it said. The suspects would buy cheap liquor for about 10 yuan a bottle and pour it into the counterfeit bottles, which are then sold in cities for up to 400 yuan ($62) each.