Nearly €275m of illegal cigarettes and tobacco seized by Revenue since 2012
More than a quarter of a billion euro worth of illegal cigarettes and tobacco has been seized by Revenue in the past five years, it has been revealed.
Figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act show €274,360,000 worth of the contraband products have been intercepted by tax officials between 2012 and 2016.
A Revenue Commissioners spokesman said it “remains vigilant in the face of changing patterns of smuggling activity”.
He added: “Revenue’s strategy is to target the supply of illicit tobacco products with a view to disrupting the supply chain, seizing the illicit products and prosecuting those responsible.
“While the comparative data suggests the problem is being contained, the illegal trade in tobacco products continues to be a serious problem and combating this illegal trade continues to be a high priority.”
http://www.irishmirror.ie/news/irish-news/crime/nearly-275m-illegal-cigarettes-tobacco-10772249
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Conference reviews fight against smuggling, counterfeits
Hanoi (VNA) – Chief of the Office of the National Steering Committee 389 Dam Thanh The named authorities’ asynchronous coordination and loopholes in mechanisms and policies as shortcomings in the fight against smuggling and counterfeits during a conference in Hanoi on July 11 to review the effort.
The National Steering Committee 389 deals with prevention and control of smuggling, trade fraud and counterfeit goods.
In the first half, the committee’s units inspected 19,057 cases, dealt with 12,162 cases, and launched criminal proceedings against 42 cases with 48 defendants, collecting 1,569.577 billion VND (68.24 million USD) for the State budget, up 172.53 billion VND (7.5 million USD) annually.
Chu Xuan Kien, Deputy Director of the Hanoi municipal Department of Industry and Trade, said the trade and transport of illicit and smuggled goods remain complicated, adding that smugglers often store goods in the northern provinces of Bac Giang, Bac Ninh, Hung Yen and the suburbs of Hanoi, then put them in small packets for easier transport.
http://en.vietnamplus.vn/conference-reviews-fight-against-smuggling-counterfeits/114698.vnp
Lear MoreLarge amounts of tobacco, drugs seized by Oman Customs
Muscat: More than 26,255 cartons of illegal cigarettes have been confiscated in Oman according to reports by Oman Customs.
At the Al Wujaja land borders, Customs confiscated 25,580 cartons of illegal cigarettes during a smuggling attempt.
In the Seeb area, 675 cartons of illegal cigarettes and 66 kgs of loose tobacco were seized from a worker’s house by the Department of Investigation and Risk Assessment.
A significant amount of drugs and psychotropics have also been confiscated at two of Oman’s airports, according to a statement from Oman Customs.
“Customs at Muscat and Salalah International Airport foil smuggling operations for amounts of drugs and psychotropics,” the statement said.
http://timesofoman.com/article/112559/Oman/Tobacco-drugs-smuggling-bid-foiled-by-Oman-Customs
Lear MoreTrio in court over $19m drug trafficking
A 15-year-old girl charged with trafficking in dangerous drugs and two men, aged 23 and 24, charged with conspiracy to traffic in dangerous drugs, appeared at the Tuen Mun Magistrates’ Courts today.
No plea was taken today and the case was adjourned until September 1. They are remanded in custody.
The teenaged school dropout, claimed she was offered HK$10,000 to carry about HK$19.3 million worth of cocaine across the border into the city.
She was arrested by the police at Shenzhen Bay Control checkpoint and the two men were later arrested in their homes at Kwun Tong and Tin Shui Wai.
http://www.thestandard.com.hk/breaking-news.php?id=93022
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Middle-aged man held over $1.2m suspected counterfeit goods
Customs said today they arrested a 42-year-old man yesterday after about 3,000 pieces of suspected counterfeit goods, worth about HK$1.2 million in market value, were seized.
They took enforcement action and cracked down on an upstairs showroom, (pictured), in Mong Kok after suspecting counterfeit products were being sold there.
The showroom, in a residential flat, was not open to the public and only served acquainted customers, Customs said.
http://www.thestandard.com.hk/breaking-news.php?id=92916
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Greece Ranks 2nd in Counterfeit and Contraband Consumption in EU
Greece continues to have the 2nd highest rate of C&C (Counterfeit and Contraband, including Illicit Whites) consumption in the EU, at 19% of total consumption, KPMG said in a Project Sun key findings report prepared for the Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies.
The study said volume of C&C fell by 12% against a backdrop of sustained law enforcement activity, while ongoing economic and political uncertainty, including capital controls since June 2015, may have had an impact on the level of legal domestic cigarette consumption
Illicit Whites brand flows remained the main source of C&C, accounting for 44% of the total illicit volume.
Legal domestic sales continued their long-term decline, falling 6% against a backdrop of sustained political and economic uncertainty, with ongoing capital controls impacting consumer spending.
Lear MoreChina smashes drinks smuggling case worth 74 mln USD
TIANJIN, July 5 (Xinhua) — Tianjin Customs in north China announced on Wednesday that it has smashed a smuggling case involving some 5 million liters of wine, beers and mineral water.
It was estimated that the drinks involved were worth nearly 500 million yuan(about 74 million U.S. dollars). Tianjin Customs found that a Beijing company’s prices were much lower than the market average at the end of 2016. After two months’ investigation, five suspects were caught and key evidence seized. The suspects have allegedly been smuggling drinks through fake contracts and invoices and quoting low prices.
It was found that the suspects registered several companies in Beijing and Tianjin. The products smuggled were imported from a dozen countries including the United States, Mexico, Britain, France and Russia. More than 720,000 bottles of drinks worth about 60 million yuan were seized by Tianjin customs officers.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2017-07/05/c_136420388.htm
Lear MoreRevenue seized over 8 million smuggled cigarettes in limerick
This week Revenue Officers seized 8.3 million contraband cigarettes that had arrived into Dublin from China, via Rotterdam.
In an intelligence-led operation, Revenue’s mobile x-ray scanner and detector dog ‘Grace’ were deployed, and the contraband cigarettes, branded “Richmond”, “Eton” & “Gold Classic”, were identified in a shipping container. The consignment was said to contain “clothing”.
On Tuesday and yesterday, Revenue officers carried out searches under warrant of premises in County Limerick and these investigations are ongoing with a view to prosecution.
The seized cigarettes have a retail value of over €4 million, representing a potential loss to the Exchequer of €2.9 million.
https://www.buzz.ie/news/revenue-seizes-over-8-million-smuggled-cigarettes-in-limerick-244922
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Iran Cigarette Production Rises, Imports, Smuggling Decline
The first quarter of the current fiscal year (March 21-June 2) saw cigarette production rise by 60%, imports fall by 75% and smuggling decline by 48% compared to last year’s corresponding period, the head of Tobacco Planning and Supervision Center said.
“Iran’s 12 cigarette factories produced 11 billion cigarettes in Q1, up 60% year-on-year. Imports of 700 million cigarettes in the three-month period show a 75% decrease over last year’s first quarter,” Ali Asghar Ramzi was also quoted as saying by Mehr News Agency.
The official put Q1 smuggled cigarettes into the country at 2.15 billion, 48% fewer than last year’s corresponding period.
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Counterfeit cigarettes haul across the county almost topped 200,000
Almost 200,000 ‘illicit’ cigarettes were seized by Trading Standards officers across Lancashire last year, almost five times the number confiscated six years ago. And the number of people prosecuted for selling counterfeit and non-duty tobacco products has also rocketed, an investigation by a Johnston Press newspaper has found.
The price of cigarettes has almost doubled since smoking in public was banned ten years ago, from £5.33 to £9.91. Up to 88 per cent goes on excise duty and VAT, it was estimated. It was also revealed how: n 188,580 sticks of cigarettes were seized by the county council in 2016/17, up from 37,760 in 2012/13; n 27 people were prosecuted, down from 35 over the same period; n Nobody in Lancashire has been caught by police for smoking in a car with children since it was outlawed two years ago; and n Some authorities in the county have not issued any punishment for breaching the 2007 Smoke Free legislation.
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