官倒 became a household word in late-1980s China, when the dual-track price system (
计划价 fixed plan price and
市场价 market price) let well-connected officials buy goods cheap inside the plan and resell at market rates. Public anger over
官倒 was one of the grievances driving the 1989 protests. The
倒 here is short for
倒卖 (dǎomài, 'to resell / scalp'), not 'fall'.
