‘Blind eye to smuggling’ aids gangs
Authorities in Northern Ireland are attempting to keep paramilitary groups sweet by turning a blind eye to smuggling, MPs have heard.Democratic Unionist William McCrea said the approach had allowed the organisations to swell their coffers and stand in elections against candidates seeking to do things legally.The DUP’s justice spokesman in the Commons added Northern Ireland has been viewed as an “attractive” region for international crime gangs due to the resistance to establish the National Crime Agency (NCA) in the country.
Shop assistant caught despite hiding illegal cigs
A shop assistant who saw Customs officers coming to his outlet tried to hide illegal cigarettes under the counter, but to no avail.The officers who raided the sundry shop in Bandar Selesa Jaya, Skudai, about 2.40pm yesterday, were wise to such tricks and after a brief search, they uncovered the smuggled cigarettes.They arrested the 31-year-old man who hails from Kerala, India, and seized the John and Canyon contraband cigarettes.
http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Nation/2015/03/11/Shop-assistant-caught-despite-hiding-illegal-cigs/
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MMEA Labuan Destroys Contraband Cigarettes, Liquor Worth RM700,000
The Labuan Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) disposed contraband cigarettes and liquor worth about RM700,000 Wednesday.The 310 boxes of cigarettes and 135 boxes of liquor were among goods seized along with a cargo vessel ‘New Prime Line’ with its total value estimated at RM2.8 million.MMEA Labuan enforcement chief Capt (Maritime) Che Adnan Md Isa said the seizure was the biggest haul by MMEA Labuan, last year.
http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v8/ge/newsgeneral.php?id=1115925
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18 people accused of £1m cigarette smuggling racket appear in court
EIGHTEEN people appeared in court today over what prosecutors say was a huge-scale evasion of duty on cigarettes and hand-rolling tobacco.It is alleged some of the team of people ran the plot to bring the contraband goods into the region while others acted as distributors.The tobacco – which would have had £1m duty payable – was delivered to various addresses via post and courier services from overseas.
Lack of anti-counterfeit law hampers fight against fake goods
The absence of the Anti-Counterfeiting Bill has slowed down punitive action against comapanies involved in production of counterfeit products, inspite of the vast powers that the new UNBS Act holds on penalties.Several businesses today are contending with huge losses as a result of loss of business to traders and manufacturers of counterfeit products.
Lear MoreHere’s How to Spot the Difference Between Real and Fake Designer Bags
Can you spot the fake Birkin above with just a glance*? Natalie Wyll and Alexa Ridolfi, the sisters who run A Second Chance Resale, do that for a living, thanks to a $600 billion counterfeit industry. Along with their mother, who founded the Upper East Side store before expanding to Soho’s West Broadway, they’ve become experts at authenticating and valuing designer handbags—especially for the Big Three brands.
http://ny.racked.com/2015/3/10/8182935/fake-handbags
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Fake Apple Watch Already Selling In China For Just $40
It underscores the amazing speed at which Chinese counterfeiters can bring clones to the market. Chinese fake goods manufacturers seem to be far more efficient than Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL). The Cupertino company first showcased its Apple Watch in September last year, and held a special event six months later on March 9 to provide more details about its wearable device. Interested customers will still have to wait for more than a month to get Apple Watch as it will be available for sale on April 24.
http://www.valuewalk.com/2015/03/fake-apple-watch-in-china/
Lear MoreCivil Defence Arrests 7 Fake Petroleum Product Dealers In Akwa Ibom
The Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has arrested seven persons for allegedly transporting fake petroleum products to Akwa Ibom and Kano States. Mr Pedro Ideba, The Akwa Ibom State Commandant of the corps, Mr Pedro Ideba, made the disclosure while speaking with newsmen in Uyo on Tuesday. Ideba said that the suspects were picked up at Ibagwa when they were heading to Kano with the adulterated product.
Lear MoreOp-ed: The five consumer groups buying fake brands in China—and what to do about them
Associate Professor in Marketing Lars Bergkvist at the University of Nottingham in Ningbo and Li Wanzhen at the EDHEC Business School explain why knockoff goods remain a resilient draw for so many of China’s consumers. Fake brands are still ubiquitous in China, on sale in well-known places such as the Silk Market in Beijing and the “fake market” on West Nanjing road in Shanghai. In the streets touts try to lure punters into “secret” shops, and there are countless online outlets offering shoppers “replica” products. Fake brands cost the makers of luxury and other branded products billions of dollars every year in lost sales and, more importantly, in eroded brand equity as those who are knocked-off become less attractive to consumers.
Lear MoreWA cigarette smuggling could increase under Inslee tax
Nearly one-third of Washington’s potential cigarette tax revenues were lost to smuggling or tax evasion in the 2013 fiscal year, according to estimates by the state Department of Revenue. Gov. Jay Inslee is proposing to increase the state’s cigarette taxes by 50 cents per pack. Washington state has steadily raised its cigarette taxes in the last 20 years as a means to both curb smoking and raise revenue.At the same time, though, something else has gone up: The rate at which people evade the tax by buying cigarettes out of state or online.Nearly one-third of Washington’s potential cigarette tax revenues were lost to smuggling or tax evasion in the 2013 fiscal year, according to estimates by the state Department of Revenue.
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