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Tobacco smugglers hit with confiscation orders

A company director, who was jailed for smuggling over three tonnes of tobacco disguised as scented pot pourri through Manchester airport, has been ordered to repay £34,500 in stolen tax.

Mohammed ShazedJameel was ordered to repay the money following a financial investigation by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC).

HMRC traced 33 illegal freight consignments back to Jameel, which added up to over three tonnes of tobacco. He was ordered to repay £34,500 within three months or face a compulsory default jail sentence of an additional two years. Jameel had been jailed previously for 38 months on 17 April 2015 at Manchester Crown Court for the smuggling offences.

http://www.forecourttrader.co.uk/news/fullstory.php/aid/10404/Tobacco_smugglers_hit_with_confiscation_orders.html

How India’s tax system helps heavily taxed cigarettes flourish

In March 2015 – in response to a drop in sales as taxes more than doubled over four years – India’s leading cigarette company ITC Ltd. shortened its discount Bristol-brand cigarettes by 5 mm. That allowed Bristol cigarettes to make use of India’s complicated six-tier cigarette-tax system and fit into the lowest tax bracket. So, a pack of Bristol costs the same as before.

Worldwide Protection Against Counterfeiting

Many brands are struggling with massive product piracy problems and the resulting loss of sales – particularly with counterfeit accessory components. In addition, frequently unjustified warranty claims, return obligations and even product liability issues have a negative effect on sales and damage a brand’s image. 71 percent of German industrial companies are affected by product or brand piracy, according to the latest VDMA market study on product piracy. Estimated losses incurred by German machine manufacturers amount to about eight billion euros per year.

After Rocks, Empty Boxes Flipkart Delivers Fake ‘JBL’ Headphones

India’s e-commerce giant Flipkart seems to be taking its customers for granted and not learning from its past goof-ups. For Ratnendra Pandey, Assistant Editor with focusnews.com, ordered a set of JBL headphones and what he received instead was a fake, defective product.

JBL is an American audio electronics company known for its quality products. The original JBL headphones look like this.

Counterfeit goods real challenge to ‘Make in India’: Report

Production of low-quality counterfeit goods has the potential to significantly undermine the ‘Make in India’ programme that seeks to establish the country as a global manufacturing hub, a report has said.The counterfeit market is growing at a rate of 44 per cent per annum and has touched Rs 1.05 lakh crore in size in 2014, according to ‘Sell SMART’ report by industry body FICCI and consultancy firm KPMG.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/policy/counterfeit-goods-real-challenge-to-make-in-india-report/articleshow/48747471.cms

World Anti-counterfeit Clothing and Accessories Packaging – Market Opportunities and Forecasts, 2014 – 2020

The malpractices of counterfeiting activities are majorly associated with premium products as they carry high revenue benefits and a lower risk. The counterfeiting practices of clothing and accessories are rapidly changing from physical markets to e commerce portals. The global anti-counterfeit clothing and accessories packaging market accounted for a revenue of $12 billion in 2014 and is expected to reach $20.5 billion by 2020, registering a CAGR of 9.9% over the forecast period.

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/world-anti-counterfeit-clothing-and-accessories-packaging—market-opportunities-and-forecasts-2014—2020-300135256.html

Report: Palestinian Women Smuggling Huge Quantities of Cheap Tobacco From Jordan

2.8 million cigarettes have been confiscated this year, but smuggling techniques are difficult to detect and mean ‘much bigger’ quantities of tobacco pass freely through customs.The amount of tobacco being smuggled from Jordan into Palestine is “much bigger” than the amount being stopped by PA customs, according to a Palestinian official.

“Women mostly are the ones who are carrying out the smuggling,” Mohammed Rabih, an assistant to the director of Palestinian Customs, told U.S. new-site Al Monitor.

http://www.haaretz.com/news/israel/1.673810

African Startup Using Phones to Spot Counterfeit Drugs

Drug Lane runs through a market in the heart of Accra, Ghana. It’s past the office towers going up to the east of the central business district, past the pushy vendors with fake Louis Vuitton luggage, and past the women selling trays of raw beef under the midday sun. The alley bristles with signboards for pills, powders, and other substances. One store is packed to the rafters with boxes of painkillers and antibiotics. On the wall are two posters: One is for Coartem, a malaria treatment made by the Swiss drug company Novartis, and the other advertises something called Recharger, supposedly made from the male silkworm moth. The notice is vague about specific uses, but it does advise using condoms.The man behind the counter, Yaw Frempong, can’t recommend either drug—at least not formally. Like 85 percent of the people selling medicine in Ghana, he isn’t a pharmacist. Most of his stock comes from China, India, and Malaysia, imported by Ghanaian distributors who supply everyone from “licensed chemical sellers” like him to actual pharmacies and hospitals.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2015-07-31/the-african-startup-using-phones-to-spot-counterfeit-drugs