In mainland China, the illegal production and distribution of the second-class psychotropic drug “Diazepam” as fishing bait has been exposed as a black market industry. Investigations have shown that the related products have spread from the production end to markets in Zhejiang, Anhui, Sichuan, and other regions, involving over a dozen fishing tackle shops. Through on-site visits in cities like Hangzhou, Jinhua, and Yiwu in Zhejiang, some fishing tackle shops were found to widely promote fishing baits believed to have significant fish-attracting effects, with some shop owners acknowledging their awareness of such products.
The report by The Paper on June 12th revealed that with just a small amount put into the water, fish would “bite madly” – a type of “highly effective bait” is currently trending in the fishing community.
Undercover investigations discovered that the secret behind it is a tightly regulated second-class psychotropic drug: Diazepam, also known as “Valium,” a type of sedative drug.
From April to June 2026, The Paper’s shadow investigation team traveled to various locations in Sichuan, Zhejiang, Anhui, and other regions to trace the source, uncovering an illicit industry chain of adding Diazepam to fishing bait that had quietly taken shape: upstream factories producing ten tons per day, midstream suppliers boasting about their unconventional ways with profit margins exceeding 50%, and downstream channels selling the “highly effective bait” nationwide through online and offline platforms. The fish caught with medicated bait may ultimately end up on dining tables.
On multiple e-commerce platforms, products labeled with “Diazepan” or “DXP” have openly marked packaging, with sales reaching tens of thousands. Test results revealed that Diazepam was detected in all samples of fishing bait.
Recently, numerous e-commerce platforms have seen a surge in products claiming to be “highly effective bait” with a “pole-match formula,” grabbing the attention of the shadow investigation team, with some packages even explicitly labeled with “Diazepan” or “DXP.”
A search on Douyin Store unveiled multiple shops selling a product called “Old Technology Streambed Remodeling Bait,” clearly marked as “Diazepan” or “DXP” on the display page, with some links recording sales figures ranging from thousands to tens of thousands of units.
Upon verifying the qualifications of these shops, it was found that five stores had the same legal representative, Zhao Kunlong, under names like “Stream Fishing House,” “Pole Bait,” “Exploding Stream,” “Stream Fishing Guests,” and “Fishing Crazy Fish Bait.” The first three were all registered under Sichuan Fishing Worldwide Fishing Tackle Co., Ltd, while the latter two were respectively registered under Yuanzhou District Longtai Trading Wholesale and Zhongxian Shanni Trading Company. The legal representative of “Fishing Crazy Fish Bait” was identified as Wu Ling. According to Tianyancha, the main members of Sichuan Fishing Worldwide Fishing Tackle Co., Ltd. are Zhao Kunlong and Wu Ling.
Through image comparisons, it was revealed that this product was also being sold on platforms like Taobao, JD.com, and Pinduoduo, by sellers of pet food, household appliances, tires, and other non-fishing related businesses. Two of the licensed stores did not have fishing tackle or fishing bait sales within their operating scope, while the other two were individual sellers without any qualifications or licenses.
The shadow investigation team purchased this product from the aforementioned six Douyin shops, and upon receipt, it was observed that all six packages were identical and lacking any product quality inspection certificates.
Subsequent testing of the samples revealed that all six samples tested positive, indicating the presence of benzodiazepines, with Diazepam being among the detected substances.
From shipment information obtained from the manufacturing enterprise, it was revealed that the factory produced Diazepam-containing bait pellets, with physical store addresses in downstream markets spread across at least 14 fishing tackle shops in the provinces of Zhejiang, Anhui, and Sichuan.
Among these, there were eleven fishing tackle shops in cities like Hangzhou, Jinhua, Yiwu, Wenzhou, Taizhou, and Lishui in Zhejiang; two in Ningguo and Huangshan in Anhui; and one in Guangyuan City, Sichuan.
Random visits to five fishing tackle shops in Hangzhou, Jinhua, Yiwu, and other locations in Zhejiang revealed that Diazepam-containing bait pellets had become an “open secret,” with shop owners unanimously affirming their effectiveness, and some even claiming to produce the product themselves.