Politicole: Welcome To The Land Of Fake Gucci And Armed Robbery
TOURISM Minister Wilchcombe says we will increase airlift, increase marketing, increase advertising, increase stopover visitors, increase US tourist offices, but I’m not hearing him say anything about increasing the tourism product itself by way of diversification of the product, or by improving or helping to improve the country, the people, or the people’s accessible culture – in other words, the tourism product.
What are you selling your tourists, Minister Wilchcombe? Fake Gucci and armed robbery?
A US-Cuba Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on air travel was signed recently and it appears that “all systems are go” with large airlines getting set to offer direct non-stop flights to Havana from cities all across the United States. This is “the day” the Bahamian tourism industry should not have ever dreaded, if only they had mastered their product long before its arrival.
http://www.tribune242.com/news/2016/feb/23/politicole-welcome-land-fake-gucci-and-armed-robbe/
Lear MoreTwo arrested in smuggling conspiracy connected to Oklahoma prison
A drug task force has arrested two people who allegedly intended to smuggle several items, including 27 pounds of tobacco and dozens of cellphones, into an Oklahoma prison.
The District 18 Drug and Violent Crimes Task Force made the arrests during a traffic stop Sunday in Hartshorne. Agents confiscated about 25 pounds of tobacco, 2 pounds of smokeless tobacco, 32 cellphones, 4 pounds of marijuana and several other contraband items, according to a news release.
SARS Wars: Health warning – tobacco may be harmful to your democracy
This month nine US politicians wrote to the US Department of Justice demanding that it investigate the London-listed British American Tobacco (BAT) following claims that the company engaged in widespread bribery of politicians and policymakers in Africa. Police in the UK are also investigating claims in relation to BAT’s dealings in South Africa and an explosive affidavit by a whistleblowersummited to the Competition Commission also suggests large scale industrial espionage and the corruption of government officials. Meanwhile, the Fair-Trade Independent Tobacco Association has come out guns blazing.
Two Arrested In Oklahoma Prison Smuggling Attempt
Two Tulsans are in the Pittsburg County jail accused of trying to smuggle a number of items into an Oklahoma prison over the weekend. The District 18 Drug and Violent Crime Task Force assisted Hartshorne Police with the arrest of 23-year-old Brandon Morgan and 20-year-old Rynesha Gatewood during a traffic stop on Sunday.
They booked the pair into the jail on complaints of conspiracy to deliver contraband to a state prison and possession of marijuana with intent to distribute. Authorities said they confiscated 25 pounds of tobacco, two pounds of smokeless tobacco and 32 cellphones from their car. They said they also found four pounds of marijuana.
http://www.newson6.com/story/31290261/two-arrested-in-oklahoma-prison-smuggling-attempt
Lear More
Cigarette smuggling prevented
Azerbaijan’s State Customs Committee has announced that its employees prevented an attempt to smuggle tobacco products to Azerbaijan.
During the operation, the employees of the Tovuz Customs Office prevented the smuggling of 23, 000 cigarettes.
Today, cigarettes are considered the third most popular smuggling product after drugs and weapons.
Recently, retail prices of several cigarette brands have been significantly reduced in Azerbaijan. The main reason for the decline in the cigarette prices is to combat the smuggled tobacco products on the local market.
http://www.azernews.az/azerbaijan/93223.html
Lear MoreAustin woman arrested for selling counterfeit fitness products online
Austin Police arrest a woman for selling fake goods over the internet.Police say 35-year-old Evelyn Carowicz was importing the goods from a counterfeit operation based in China. Austin Police received a tip from a private investigator employed by major corporations to protect their trademark.
The affidavit states that police quickly followed the private investigator’s lead, contacting Carewicz online to make a purchase. She agreed to sell them “Beach Body” products on February 17. After the purchase was made, investigators followed Carewicz back to her apartment inside the Balcones Woods complex off Research Blvd. Once police knew where she lived, they were able to conduct a search warrant.
Homeland Security helps APD crackdown on fake merchandise
In the last few weeks, investigators with the Austin Police Department have come across some of the hottest apparel, beauty and fitness items on the market. The only problem: they say it’s all fake.
Working off tips from the Department of Homeland Security, APD organized crime detectives arrested Evelyn Teresa Carewicz, 36, and IrfanbhaiBarkataliMomin, 36 in two different cases. Each face a state jail felony charge of trademark counterfeiting.
Concern over fake hair gel
PEOPLE have been urged to be careful of fake products being sold in local supermarkets. This after a Lautoka-based hair gel factory discovered samples of their hair gel being circulated using their brand name without their consent. Formosa Chemicals Industries manager Sunil Kumar said the fake Chiadin hair gel products were recently discovered in some supermarkets in Suva.
He said the company officials were concerned that the fake hair gel could damage the skin. “We are worried that anything serious could happen to those that are using the fake gel because our company name is on the gel containers,” said Mr Kumar.
Counties to play central role in war against counterfeits
The Anti-Counterfeit Agency (ACA) has said it will work with county governments to stamp out the trade in fraudulently imitated products. ACA’s acting Deputy Director for Research and Awareness, Agnes Karingu, said the agency is incorporating the devolved units owing to their role in regulating trading activities. She said studies had shown that Trans Nzoia County, for instance, which is an agricultural zone, is grappling with a proliferation of counterfeit agricultural products, which have affected farmers’ yields. “Top on the list are counterfeit maize seeds from the Kenya Seed Company. These are sold by unscrupulous traders to unsuspecting farmers, which affects their productivity and, in turn, increases poverty levels,” Ms Karingu said. The agency also asked police officers to pay the same attention to combating counterfeiting as they do other crimes.
Power banks: Be careful when shopping, says official
Ministry man says lack of manpower hampers checks on products and traders, urges everyone to help. Consumers must exercise caution when purchasing products especially when deals seem too good to be true, says Alias Ahmad, secretary-general of the domestic trade and consumerism ministry. Alias said the ministry was investigating a complaint about mobile phone battery power banks found to be filled with sand. The ministry constantly checked on traders and the products they sold, but lacked sufficient manpower, he said.
However, consumers must also exercise caution by checking on a brand’s reputation and the warranty on a product before making a purchase and not be drawn too easily by a product’s cheap price.