Sri Lanka Customs nab three passengers smuggling gold worth Rs. 16 million
11, October 2018 | Colombo Page
Colombo: Sri Lanka Customs officials at the Bandaranaike International Airport in Katunayake in two separate incidents have arrested three Sri Lankan passengers who were attempting to smuggle in gold worth Rs 16 million.
Two of the suspects, arrived on a flight from Singapore last night was in the possession of 10 gold biscuits and two gold pieces. One of the suspects is a woman.
The third passenger, also arrived from Singapore this morning was carrying 14 gold biscuits, the Customs said.
The suspects are residents of Wattala, Kandy and Kotte and the total weight of the gold stock is two and a half kilograms, according to the official.
http://www.colombopage.com/archive_18B/Oct11_1539234366CH.php
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Barnet man sentenced for smuggling over a million cigarettes into the UK.
11, October 2018 | Ealing Times
A man who smuggled more than a million illegal cigarettes into the country in parcels labelled as ‘leather shoes’ has been sentenced.
Ashley Clinton-Carter, 60, of Mill Hill, set up 17 accounts at mailbox delivery outlets in London under the alias of John Bull to smuggle cigarettes into the UK from China.
Clinton-Carter was arrested on February 5 2015 carrying parcels containing 16,800 illicit cigarettes that he had collected from an outlet in Harrow.
During an investigation by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), officers found customs declarations for November 2014 to February 2015 which showed the packages should have contained ‘clothes’ or ‘leather shoes’ – A further 251,600 cigarettes were seized.
Another 810,200 cigarettes, addressed to the mailboxes, were seized by Border Force officers at Heathrow and Coventry airports.
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Rotten Apple: $73K, 200 counterfeit Apple products seized.
10, October 2018 l Action News
Police think a New York man could have made nearly $73,000 off counterfeit Apple products before he and more than 200 other fakes were stopped in Delaware.
Citing a Delaware State Police release, The News Journal reports that 33-year-old Alsurymi Abdulrahman was pulled over Saturday for erratically switching into the EZ-Pass lane, and approaching officers could smell marijuana.
Police spotted a large amount of money in his glove box and obtained a warrant. In addition to $72,600, they found 31 lightning USB cables, five sets of earbuds, 110 USB power adapters and 91 iPhone 7 USB lightning cables.
He’s charged with trademark counterfeiting, driving without a license and making an improper lane change. He posted $500 secured bond.
https://6abc.com/rotten-apple-$73k-200-counterfeit-apple-products-seized/4447315/
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Four held at Mumbai Airport for smuggling gold worth Rs 1.87 crore.
08, October 2018 l Mumbai Mirror
The Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) of Mumbai customs arrested four Indians from Mumbai International Airport on Saturday night for allegedly smuggling 6.5 kilograms of gold worth Rs 1.87 crore.
The accused have been identified as Rakesh Kumar,33, Vijender Singh,35, Surender Singh,36 and one Dayanand,32 — all of them are residents of Haryana. While Kumar had arrived from Hong Kong by international flight, other three were going to Delhi by a domestic flight.
According to the AIU officials, they had intercepted all of them on Saturday from the airport while all of them were going to Delhi. The official said that during their personal search they found five silver coloured crude gold Kada, seven silver coloured gold pendant and 11 silver coloured gold chain from their possession. Following which the accused were booked and placed under arrest.
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Man On Wheelchair Caught At Delhi Airport For Smuggling Gold.
08, October 2018 | NDTV
NEW DELHI: Customs officials at Delhi airport have arrested a 68-year-old wheelchair-bound man, for smuggling gold.
The passenger was trying to smuggle into the country gold worth about Rs. 47 lakh, according to an official statement issued today.
The passenger was intercepted on his arrival from Dubai on Saturday.
“A detailed personal and baggage search of the passenger resulted in the recovery of three gold bars of foreign origin, collectively weighing 1.4 kg,” the statement said.
During investigation, the passenger also admitted to having smuggled in three kg of gold bars, valued at Rs. 83.29 lakh, during his previous visits.
Lear MoreFight Against Counterfeiting and Smuggling, New Delhi
03/10/2018| New Delhi
Students Join Hands to Fight Against Counterfeiting and Smuggling
With the unrelenting growth of illicit trade through counterfeiting and smuggling, FICCI CASCADE has been continuously campaigning against these activities. However, as the problem of counterfeiting and smuggling has led to more financial, economic and social crisis, it is our continuous endeavour to revisit, rethink and test new approaches in addressing this socio-economic challenge.
India has a young population profile and is set to be the youngest country by 2020. The youth of India being the country’s future, it becomes imperative to understand the power of the consumers of tomorrow. With youngsters becoming a key stakeholder for advocating socially responsible behaviour, FICCI CASCADE believes that it is important to bring them on board the awareness campaign and through them influence the society as a whole. We believe that an idea planted in their minds can become an instrument of change.
FICCI CASCADE has started a youth movement across the country to spread awareness among the young minds and seek their support to underpin the fight against counterfeiting and smuggling. Such a movement has offered the opportunity to bring in more people, particularly youngsters to push forward its actions to curb counterfeiting and smuggling.
In order to pick the brains of the young school children, FICCI CASCADE organised an Interschool Meet on the subject, where students from over 20 leading schools from Delhi and NCR competed against each other in two categories of competitions, namely, Painting and Elocution on the theme “Fight Against Counterfeiting and Smuggling” on 3rd October 2018. The key objectives of the competitions were to inspire the youth to take required actions to discourage and stop the purchase of counterfeit and smuggled goods.
The contest witnessed enthusiastic and active participation from students, most of whom were very impressive in expressing their concern on and the need to curb such illegal trade practices. The competitions provided a unique platform to the young minds to express their views through their oratory and creative talent on diverse themes like “Terrorism Financing through Smuggling”, “India – A Victim of Smuggling”, “India’s Brand Integrity at Stake due to Counterfeiting and Smuggling” etc.
The competitions were judged by Mr. P. C. Jha, Advisor, FICCI CASCADE & Former Special Chairman, Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC), Mr. Deep Chand, Advisor of FICCI CASCADE & Former Special Commissioner of Police, New Delhi and Dr. Usha Rao, Asst. Controller General, Patents and Design, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Govt. of India.
The winners in both the competitions were as follows:
Elocution Competition:
1st – Alana Seby, Class IX, St. Francis de Sales Senior Secondary School, Janakpuri
2nd – Swapnil Srivastava, Class IX, Tagore International School
3rd – Prakriti, Class IX, DAV Public School, Pushpanjali Enclave
Painting Competion
1st – Bhavya Wangnoo, Class IX Birla Vidya Niketan
2nd – Abhishek Rawat, Class X, Jindal Public School
3rd – Isha Sihag, Class IX, Jindal Public School and Hibah Ishan, Class IX, DPS, RK Puram
Through the competitions not only did all witness the skills and creative abilities of the school children, but also visible was the passion in them to bring about a change in the society by shunning fake products and saying no to smuggled goods.
To reiterate, awareness generation is extremely crucial in bringing change in attitudes from considering counterfeiting and smuggling activities as victimless crime to the realization that it entails grave risks, both social and economic. A pro-active and preventative approach and strategy is the need of the hour to curb the twin menace. Several steps are being taken by FICCI CASCADE and the government to create large-scale awareness among the most impacted segment of this menace: the consumer. This youth awareness initiative is one of a series of such events to be organised across the country as part of a nation-wide awareness campaign to highlight the issue and focus on the growing menace of illicit trade.
Four held for smuggling foreign cigarettes.
30, September 2018 | The Hindu
The Directorate of Revenue Intellingence (DRI), Chennai Zonal Unit, arrested four persons after intercepting a three-container consignment from Dubai that contained foreign cigarettes worth ₹4.23 crore on Saturday.
The DRI officers seized the contraband based on specific intelligence that cigarettes were being smuggled by a syndicate in an import consignment of calcium carbonate.
The consignment was being imported in three 20-foot containers and landed at Kattupalli Port and was trans-shipped to a container freight station. On examination, the DRI officials found cartons concealed inside the calcium carbonate bags which contained Gudang Garam cigarettes from Indonesia. About 30.24 lakh cigarette sticks were found.
Lear MoreCandle Light Congregation- Fight Against Counterfeiting and Smuggling, Bhopal
27th September 2018 | Bhopal
27th September 2018 | Vellore Institute of Technology, Bhopal
A Candle Light Congregation on the theme “Let’s Fight Counterfeiting and Smuggling” was organised on 27 September 2018 with the students of Vellore Institute of Technology, Bhopal to fight the menace of counterfeiting and smuggling. The objective was to catch them young and educate them on the hazards posed by illicit trade.
The event, a part of the series of nation-wide awareness campaigns to highlight the issue of growing menace of illicit trading activities, the FICCI CASCADE candle light congregation saw the enthusiastic participation of over 250 students with candles in their hand and banners stating, ‘Buy Make in India’ and ‘Say No to Smuggled Goods’.
On this occasion, Dr. P Gunasekaran, Vice Chancellor, VIT Bhopal congratulated FICCI CASCADE for taking the step of initiating the youth movement against illicit trade in smuggled and counterfeit goods. He agreed that activities involving illicit trade like smuggling greatly hampered a nation’s economic independence and every citizen must pledge to not use such products and to fight the menace of smuggling and counterfeiting, which was in the larger interest of the national economy.
Media Coverage Seminar in BhopalDownload Pdf
FICCI CASCADE holds seminar on counterfeiting and smuggling hazards.
27, September 2018 | Daily Pioneer
Committee Against Smuggling and Counterfeiting Activities Destroying the Economy (FICCI CASCADE) on Wednesday organized a seminar on ‘Combating Counterfeiting and Smuggling, an Imperative to Accelerate Economic Development’. The seminar discussed the importance of increased awareness on the hazards of counterfeiting and smuggling, and the need for effective enforcement to enhance India’s economic development.
Justice (retired) NK Jain, Judge of MP High Court and Chairman, Madhya Pradesh State Consumer Redressal Commission encouraged FICCI CASCADE’s commitment and drive to curb smuggling and illicit trade in the country, however he mentioned that much more is needed to be done to change the general mind set with respect to the use of smuggled and illicit goods. Smuggling and counterfeiting goods not only hamper the economic growth of the country but also adversely affect the social fabric and the well-being of its people. He further added on the need for framing robust policies and effective implementation to curtail this menace.
Lear MoreCombating Counterfeiting and Smuggling – An Imperative to Accelerate Economic Development, Bhopal
26th September 2018 | Bhopal
ILLICIT TRADE: AN ECONOMIC CALAMITY
A report on FICCI CASCADE initiatives in Bhopal
In the modern economic era, where rapid changes and technological advancements accelerate international trade and lead to fragmentation of the global supply chains, there is the need to maintain a right balance between trade facilitation and law enforcement. Due to this advancement and expansion, it has been witnessed that the geographic scope, capacity and range of illegally traded goods have increased manifold over the years. Illicit trade including counterfeiting and smuggling threaten economies, communities and society as a whole.
In order to discuss this rampant threat of this illegal trade, FICCI CASCADE (Committee Against Smuggling and Counterfeiting Activities Destroying the Economy) organized a seminar on ‘Combating Counterfeiting and Smuggling – An Imperative to Accelerate Economic Development’ in Bhopal on 26 September 2018. The event was followed by a Candle Light Congregation on 27 September 2018 on the issue with the students of Vellore Institute of Technology. The objective to educate them on the hazards posed by counterfeiting and smuggling activities, besides urging them to join the campaign against the menace of illicit trade.
Justice N. K. Jain, Retired Judge of MP High Court and Chairman, Madhya Pradesh State Consumer Redressal Commission, The Chief Guest at the seminar, applauded FICCI CASCADE’s commitment and drive to curb illicit trading activities in the country and called for continued efforts to change the general mindset with respect to the use of smuggled and other illicit goods. Smuggled and counterfeited products are not only hampering the country’s economic growth but is also adversely affecting the social fabric and the well-being of its people. He further stressed on the need for framing robust policies and their effective implementation to curb this worldwide menace.
Mrs. Anuradha Sharma, Additional Director General, Madhya Pradesh Police, stated that counterfeiting and smuggling was a huge area of concern as it highly impacted the health and safety of the common people, along with revenue losses to industry and tax losses to the government. Those dealing in such trading activities have set up criminal networks, which have now acquired global proportions. Notably, illicit trade is resulting in increased unlawful activities by transnational criminal organizations, including terrorist groups. Such is the enormity of the problem that it calls for stern deterrence and joint action of all stakeholders.
Mr. Vijay Agarwal, Vice President, Federation of Madhya Pradesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry & CEO, Narmada Transmission Pvt. Ltd, while welcoming the participants, observed that counterfeited, smuggled and other forms of illicit products adversely impacted industries, consumers, and the government. It was, therefore, increasingly imperative to address this growing problem to safeguard the interests of legitimate industry, ensure competitiveness and their contribution to the growth of the economy.
Mr. P. C. Jha, Advisor, FICCI CASCADE and Former Chairman, Central Board of Excise and Customs, stated, “During the last twenty years, the volume of counterfeiting activities globally has increased 100 times and the size of trade in counterfeited goods is about 10 percent of the legal international trade (equal to 2% of the world’s overall economic output). The problem of illicit trade is much more serious than it is commonly perceived.”
To provide deeper insight into the issue of counterfeiting and smuggling and to rule out effective resolutions and practical solutions, representatives from different sectors presented their ideas and suggestions, and proposed initiatives that were required. The panelists also deliberated on the various steps needed to establish a robust mechanism to monitor the impact of these ill-gotten goods on the health and safety of people, and the framework needed for monitoring the cross-sectoral and multi-stakeholder losses due this menace. Mr. Ranjit Kumar, Joint Commissioner, Customs, Mr. D. Sreenivasa Varma, IGP, CID, Madhya Pradesh Police, Dr. Anamika Gulati, HOD, Quality Department, Dawat Foods Ltd., and Mr. Harendra Singh, Registrar, M P State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, who participated in the panel discussion, all agreed that recognizing this issue as a growing menace and raising awareness on the problem among the masses were important steps towards addressing the problem illicit trade by. Mr. Deep Chand, Advisor, FICCI CASCADE and Former Special Commissioner of Police, New Delhi, who chaired the panel discussion, informed that 8 to 15 percent of global GDP was impacted due to illicit trade and criminal activities and emphasized that all stakeholder, both as a nation and as a part of the global economy, need to take stern and resolute steps against such ill-intentioned activities.
FICCI CASCADE’s candle light congregation, organized subsequently as a part of the series of nation-wide awareness campaigns to highlight the issue of growing menace of counterfeiting and smuggling, saw an enthusiastic participation of over 250 students with candles in their hands and banners stating, ‘Buy Make in India’ and ‘Say No to Smuggled Goods’. On this occasion Dr. P Gunasekaran, Vice Chancellor, VIT Bhopal commended FICCI CASCADE for taking the step of initiating the youth movement against illicit trade, such as smuggled and counterfeit goods. He agreed that activities involving illicit trade curbed the economic independence and the youth of the country must pledge not to use fake products, while fighting the menace of smuggling and counterfeiting, for the larger interest of the nation’s economy.
Several steps are being taken by FICCI CASCADE and the government to create large-scale awareness among the most impacted segment of this menace: the consumer. These programmes are being organized as a series of events being undertaken across the country, highlighting the growing menace of illegal trade and the accompanying fallouts.
