KEBS adopts Unique SMS code for product certification
In a bid to curb the sale of counterfeit products, the Kenya Bureau of Standards has introduced an SMS code system to consumers, a move that has increased consumer confidence.
The KEBS innovation is seen as a sign that the East African nation is movingto exploit technology in enhancing service delivery among its citizens. The technology was necessitated by the proliferation of many fake products on the market that led to outcry among the consumers some of whom questioned the relevance of the Quality assurance body. “We were getting many complaints from members of public about the quality of most consumer goods on the market. Our field agents were working tirelessly to enforce quality but as you know many unscrupulous business men used the existing loopholes to bypass the system,” explained Immaculate Chege, a Marketing Officer from KEBS.
Lear More
Marijuana-, tobacco-smuggling guard gets 20 months in prison
HELENA — A former Montana State Prison guard who pleaded guilty to smuggling marijuana and tobacco to inmates has been sentenced to 20 months in federal prison.
U.S. District Judge Sam Haddon sentenced 25-year-old Martin Reap of Deer Lodge on Tuesday. His prison sentence will be followed by five years of supervised release.
Reap acknowledged receiving about $6,400 for smuggling contraband into the prison 20 times over the course of about a year, beginning in February 2015.
Reap’s plea agreement called for dismissing charges of drug conspiracy, possession and distribution.
http://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/montana/marijuana–tobacco-smuggling-guard-gets-months-in-prison/article_62570fe6-5bf0-5f62-8ea5-a2e7c4467b95.html
Lack of checks allows tobacco, fuel smuggling to proliferate
At a time when fuel and tobacco smuggling is rife, the authorities are reducing the number of inspections instead of increasing them, resulting in significant revenue losses for the state.
In the fuel market, there is virtually no monitoring, even though the wider gap between the taxes on diesel and heating oil provide the ideal conditions for illegal trade to flourish.
From the 27,365 inspections conducted during 2014, in the first half of this year authorities conducted just 1,702 inspections and confiscated only 60 liters of unleaded gasoline. Furthermore, the data the Finance Ministry receives from the fuel stations’ inflow-outflow systems are not checked, with officials saying the responsible agency is understaffed.
Lear More
NAFDAC nabs producer of fake powdered milk
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has arrested one Christopher Nnabuihe over production and selling of fake peal powder in Calabar metropolis.
The NAFDAC Coordinator in Cross River State, Dr. Isaac Kolawole, who disclosed the arrest in a statement yesterday, said they have received complaints of adulterated peak milk from consumers which prompted them to swing into action leading to the arrest of the suspect while making supplies to stores.
Apple Sues Mobile Star for Selling Counterfeit Power Adapters and Charging Cables through Amazon
Apple brings this action to protect its customers from dangerous counterfeit power products such as power adapters and charging cables that Amazon.com LLC (“Amazon.com”) sourced from Defendant Mobile Star LLC (“Mobile Star”) and sold through its internet-based e-commerce platform located at www.amazon.com. Mobile Star also supplied Groupon, Inc./Groupon Goods, Inc. (“Groupon”) with dangerous counterfeit Apple power products that Groupon then sold to consumers through Groupon’s e-commerce platform. Counterfeit power products, such as those supplied by Mobile Star, pose an immediate threat to consumer safety because, unlike genuine Apple products, they are not subjected to industry-standard consumer safety testing and are poorly constructed with inferior or missing components, flawed design, and inadequate electrical insulation.
Lear MoreZimra incapacitated to stop smuggling — Industry
INDUSTRY has raised concern over the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority’s (Zimra) capacity to stamp out smuggling at ports of entry, amid claims its officials were incapacitated to deal with of duty and rules of origin issues.
This came out at a Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries (CZI) roundtable briefing on business and economic matters in Bulawayo on Wednesday.
First to raise the issue was the Zimbabwe Textile Manufacturers’ Association vice-president, Freedom Dube, who said smugglers were declaring blankets as woven fabric to avoid paying duty, something Zimra officials were failing to detect.
https://www.newsday.co.zw/2016/10/14/zimra-incapacitated-stop-smuggling-industry/
Lear More
Rampant smuggling of banned goods blamed for Zimbabwe’s ailing industry
Despite attempts at curbing illegal trade, Zimbabwe’s government has said it is facing rampant smuggling of banned goods at its borders.
For years now, Zimbabwe’s government has been working at cracking down on smuggled goods, which President Robert Mugabe claims these products have killed manufacturing, the country’s once-vibrant industries.
http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/rampant-smuggling-banned-goods-blamed-zimbabwes-ailing-industry-1586407
HoMAI re-launches as Authentication Solution Providers’ Association
Hologram Manufacturers Association of India (HoMAI), which was founded sixteen years ago on December 1 1998 as the world’s second and Asia’s only Association representing holography, has now been re-launched this year with a broader mandate as Authentication Solution Providers’ Association (ASPA).
By helping to check counterfeiting, ASPA helps protect consumers, unlock revenue realization for brand owners and governments, as well as ensure steady growth of its members and the industry in general.
http://www.business-standard.com/article/news-ani/homai-re-launches-as-authentication-solution-providers-association-114101401254_1.html
Lear More
P10-M worth fake cigarettes, goods seized in oro
BUREAU of Customs (BOC) officials from Northern Mindanao and from the office of Commissioner NicanorFaeldon confiscated fake imported tobacco products and other goods with an estimated value of P10 million in various warehouses during a series of raids in Cagayan de Oro, the agency said Wednesday, October 10.
Sonny Sarmiento, Customs technical assistant at the office of the Commissioner, said they received information that smuggled and counterfeit items have proliferated in the region, specifically in Cagayan de Oro.
Lear More
90% hike in smuggled cigarette consumption in India: FICCI
Consumption of smuggled cigarettes has increased by over 90 per cent, equivalent to 12.5-23.9 billion sticks, in the last 10 years in India, revealed a new report on Thursday.
The report released by business chamber FICCI also stated that 74 per cent of the smokers were willing to switch to cheaply-priced smuggled or illegal cigarettes due to higher taxation on legal cigarettes.
“Over 56 per cent smokers prefer attractive packaging of foreign smuggled brands which doesn’t adhere to Indian regulations like 85 per cent pictorial health warning,” said the report by FICCI CASCADE (Committee Against Smuggling and Counterfeiting Activities Destroying the Economy).
Lear More