NANNING -- Police in southern China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region had arrested four suspects for selling counterfeit cigarettes online, they announced Saturday.

Laibin City police launched an investigation in March after receiving information about counterfeit cigarettes being sold online.

According to the investigation, a man surnamed Gan and two other men in neighboring Hunan Province acted as agents selling cigarettes via online payment platforms or messaging apps such QQ, Alipay and WeChat.

They bought the cigarettes from a man surnamed Zhang in eastern China's Fujian Province.

The three agents were arrested in late September, with Zhang captured in Yunxiao County of Fujian in late October.

The police seized 77,000 cigarettes worth 133,500 yuan ($19,348).