Politicians debate relationship of cigarette taxes, smuggling
The team of police officers that wrestled Eric Garner to the ground last July in Staten Island, N.Y., were arresting him for what seems like a mundane offense: selling illegal cigarettes.
The racially tinged death of Garner puts a fresh spotlight on the little-publicized underworld of cigarette smuggling — and the argument over whether high cigarette taxes deter smoking or simply encourage the illicit trade.
http://www.newstimes.com/local/article/Politicians-debate-relationship-of-cigarette-5936139.php
Lear MoreFormer Essex County prosecutor admits role in jail smuggling plot
A former Essex County prosecutor pleaded guilty Wednesday to scheming with others to smuggle marijuana and tobacco into the Essex County Jail. Brian Kapalin, 67, an attorney from Maplewood, faces up to five years in prison when he is sentenced on March 18, 2015. He pleaded guilty to a single count of conspiring to smuggle contraband into a federal facility during an appearance before U.S. District Court Judge Mary Cooper. Federal prosecutors say that between September 2013 and May 2014, Kapalin received packages of marijuana and tobacco from Vladimir Sauzereseteo, 40, of East Orange.
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YPB Group raises $1.65M to grow online anti-counterfeiting business
Anti-counterfeiting technology company YPB Group (ASX:YPB) has raised $1.65 million to accelerate the growth of its online Brand Reporter business. The funds were raised through a placement of 5.5 million shares priced at $0.30 each. This represents a 8.5% discount to its Volume Weighted Average Price for 20 trading days prior to the placement. In September, the company acquired US-based anti-counterfeit App and online business Brand Reporter.
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Maplewood Attorney Confesses to Smuggling Contraband into Essex County Jail
The local attorney pled guilty to smuggling marijuana and tobacco into the jail in exchange for cash payments of $500 a package. An attorney from Maplewood, New Jersey, today admitted his involvement in a scheme to smuggle contraband, including marijuana and tobacco, into the Essex County Jail, a federal pretrial detention facility, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
Brian Kapalin, 67, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Mary L. Cooper to an information charging him with one count of conspiring to smuggle contraband into a federal detention facility.
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Virginia crime panel endorses cigarette licensing
RICHMOND—Virginia lawmakers should license retailers to sell cigarettes to clamp down on smuggling from the state with the second-lowest tobacco tax in the nation, a commission recommended Tuesday. The Virginia State Crime Commission voted 8–5 to endorse cigarette licensing and have the Alcoholic Beverage Control Department enforce it. The panel also backed measures to improve the effectiveness of search-and-rescue efforts. It also postponed until next year a decision on whether to make texting of sexually explicit photos by teenagers a misdemeanor.
Commission endorsements carry weight but do not guarantee legislative approval. The cigarette proposal likely faces long odds in a House of Delegates dominated by conservative Republicans averse to increased state regulation. GOP House members on the commission voted against the measure. Thirty-six other states require cigarette retailers to obtain a license.
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Special task force set up to tackle fake cigarette smuggling
A new task force has been set up to tackle the gangs who are netting millions of pounds through smuggling and selling counterfeit cigarettes. The trade in illicit tobacco is becoming increasingly big business for organised criminals. While those who buy it may think they are getting a bargain, they could be putting themselves in serious danger.
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How eBay, Amazon and Alibaba Fuel the World’s Top Illegal Industry — the Counterfeit Products Market
Over the last year, Craig Crosby has bought more than 250 items on eBay. The 6-foot-3 ex-cop with bushy white hair and a white mustache — a cop’s mustache — keeps each item in its own Ziploc bag, carefully labeled as if evidence from a crime scene, because in a way it is. At least that’s how Crosby sees it. “This is now the largest criminal enterprise in the world,” Crosby says in a baritone drawl, sounding almost like John Wayne if he’d grown up in Reseda. “It actually is more profitable than illegal drug dealing.” All 250 items are counterfeits — counterfeit jeans, counterfeit watches, counterfeit respiratory masks, the kind you might wear if you had to remove asbestos.
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292 counterfeit domains seized by law enforcement
Europol, the European Union’s law enforcement agency, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland security Investigations and law enforcement agencies from 19 countries have seized 292 web domains that were used for the sale of counterfeit goods, according to Europol. The counterfeit products included luxury items, as well as “sportswear, electronics, pharmaceuticals and pirated goods like movies and music,” the BBC reports.
The operation was part of a project called “In Our Sites (IOS) Transatlantic V.” The law enforcement groups have been receiving leads since August from various trademark holders.
http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2014/12/02/europol-seizes-22-counterfeit-domains/
Lear MoreCounterfeit Frozen toys seized from shop in Nottinghamshire
A haul of counterfeit dolls, umbrellas, watches, backpacks and blankets were seized by Nottinghamshire County Council.Hundreds of potentially dangerous Frozen toys and products have been seized from a toy shop in Nottinghamshire.A haul of counterfeit dolls, umbrellas, watches, backpacks and blankets were seized by Nottinghamshire County Council after concerns were raised that the fake goods could burst in to flames or strangle children.The Daily Mail reports that the Council found that the fancy dress costumes and pyjamas did not conform to flammability standards.
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Crime Commission Takes New Tactic on Cigarette Smuggling
In spite of recent stronger penalties, traffickers are still smuggling Virginia’s low-tax cigarettes to other states—especially to New York City, where demand for the Commonwealth’s cigarettes is soaring due to the city’s high excise taxes. Some estimates suggest that 21 percent of Virginia cigarettes end up in other states, where profits are so high that many criminals would rather sell tobacco than heroin. But the State Crime Commission is recommending a different tactic to deter the traffickers.
http://wvtf.org/post/crime-commission-takes-new-tactic-cigarette-smuggling
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