Man sentenced after being caught with over 380,000 illegal cigarettes.
A 32-year-old man has been sentenced after being caught smuggling thousands of illicit cigarettes into Northern Ireland.
Wang Jie Chen, from Dunluskin Gardens in the seaside town had £20,000 in cash and 15,000 cigarettes when the car he was travelling in was stopped on the East Bread Road in Belfast in 2017.
Track and trace postage numbers were also found in the vehicle. Chen failed to appear in court on the matter and subsequently an arrest warrant was issued.
As the HMRC continued their investigations, they intercepted parcels at a Belfast sorting depot and seized 46 packages addressed to Chen, containing 200,000 cigarettes which were hidden inside 270 rucksacks.
When residential premises in Belfast was searched in connection to the cigarettes more evidence of cigarette smuggling was uncovered.
Lear MoreRs 95L gold seized from air traveler
Panaji: The air intelligence wing of Goa customs foiled a gold smuggling bid on Saturday with the seizure of over 2kg gold valued at Rs 95 lakh. Customs sleuths nabbed a Kolkata resident who is part of the smuggling ring.
Customs officials said that with fewer flights operating between Dubai and Goa, smugglers are using the New Delhi route to smuggle gold. As per information, the gold was being smuggled aboard Vistara flight UK847.
“Goa customs officers have successfully busted a modus operandi whereby an International passenger brought the smuggled gold from Dubai to Delhi and purposely left the gold below his seat with knowledge that the same flight will be on domestic run from Delhi to Goa,” said Y B Sahare, assistant commissioner of Goa Customs.
As per information, the gold was left behind by one passenger who disembarked at Delhi after which another member of the ring boarded the flight. The passenger, who is a native of West Bengal was nabbed in Goa with the gold under the provisions of Customs Act, 1962.
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Fake currency seized in Sirsa
The Sirsa police have seized counterfeit currency worth Rs 71,000 from a youth and arrested him from Auto Market area in Sirsa town today.
The police spokesperson said that the youth, Ravi alias Vicky, resident of a village in Sirsa district, was found possessing counterfeit currency of Rs 500 denomination.
Police personnel Deepak Kumar became suspicious on seeing his movements. So, he detained Ravi and inquired about his activities. During search, he was found carrying the currency notes which turned out to be counterfeit.
https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/haryana/fake-currency-seized-in-sirsa-203213
Lear More9 Arrested At Chennai Airport For Allegedly Smuggling Gold In Rectum.
New Delhi: Customs authorities at Chennai airport have made massive recoveries of gold in various forms over the past three days, with more than 9 kilograms of it found on nine persons who carried it in their rectums. The precious metal was also seized in the form of bits and chains from the same set of people. The nine arrested, including a woman, had flown in from Dubai and Sharjah.
Having received information, Customs authorities at Chennai International Airport, on Friday, arrested 17 persons, including four women, on suspicion of carrying gold. Arriving from Dubai on Fly Dubai Flight 8515, they were intercepted at the exit by officials, the Commissioner of Customs at the airport said in a press release.
On searching their persons, 48 bundles of gold paste weighing 9.03 kilogram were recovered from their rectums. Of these, officials could extract 7.72 kilograms worth ₹ 3.93 crores.
Further searching led to the recovery of 12 gold cut bits weighing 386 grams and a gold chain weighing 74 grams from various pant pockets and hand bags, the Commissioner of Customs said.
Lear MoreOdisha: Fake Gutkha & Tobacco Products Worth Rs 10 Lakh Seized After Raids In Balasore
Balasore: The Special Task Force (STF) of Crime Branch on Sunday conducted raids at two different places in Jaleswar area, and seized gutkha and tobacco products worth over Rs 10 lakh.
Acting on a tip-off, a special team of STF conducted raids in different places of Jaleswar in Balasore district as part of its crackdown against illegal storage, manufacture and sale of fake tobacco (zarda) products yesterday.
The team seized huge quantities of Gopal Zarda and other tobacco materials from the possession of one Ashok Kumar Sahu of Rajpur area.
Later, the STF seized duplicate products of Gopal Zarda following a raid at Station bazaar area in Jaleswar. One Chandan Chourasia has been detained in this connection.
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NIA charges 4 in Siliguri fake currency case
New Delhi, Jan 23: The National Investigation Agency has filed a chargesheet in connection with the Siluguri fake currency case. The case relates to the seizure of fake currency in denomination of ₹2000 (200 pieces) and ₹500 (02 pieces) having face value of ₹4,01,000 from the possession of accused Golam Martuja on January 8 last year by the DRI, Regional Unit Siliguri, West Bengal.
The NIA took over the case in March last year and arrested three persons Sadek Mia, Md. Baitullah and Md. Mukhtar Alam.
Investigation has revealed that the accused persons were part of a terrorist gang comprising of smugglers, couriers and distributors of FICN criminally conspired to smuggle and circulate High Quality Counterfeit Indian Paper Currency Notes leading to damage to the monetary stability of India.
The arrested accused persons used to receive FICNs from Bangladesh based smugglers through multiple couriers and used to circulate them in different parts of India and near Indo-Nepal border as established by money deposits in lieu of FICNs from these disparate locations into one account of Malda. The proceeds were subsequently channelized to Bangladesh based smugglers through different couriers/Hawala.
https://www.oneindia.com/india/nia-charges-4-in-siliguri-fake-currency-case-3206383.html
Lear MoreMan held with fake currency notes.
A 44-year-old man was arrested on Friday with fake currency notes with a face value of ₹4 lakh in east Delhi’s Anand Vihar, the police said.
The accused has been identified as Sheikh Shehzad, a resident of Delhi, who hails from Motihari district in Bihar, they said.
The recovered notes have almost every feature like that of an original one, including security thread and watermarks, the police said.
“On Thursday, the police were informed that a member of a fake Indian currency note [FICN] syndicate would come to Anand Vihar railway station to deliver a huge consignment to one of his contacts named Raja.
“A trap was laid and the accused was nabbed. The police recovered FICN in the denomination of ₹2,000 and with a total face value of ₹4 lakh from his possession,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Sanjeev Kumar Yadav said.
https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Delhi/man-held-with-fake-currency-notes/article33639264.ece
Lear More7th Edition International Conference Mascrade 2021
21-22 January, 2021
Virtual Edition
Impact of Counterfeiting and Smuggling on Personal Health and Safety
It has long been known that illicit trade in terms of counterfeiting and smuggling makes up a vast ‘global businesses’, representing a multibillion-dollar illegal industry that creates a significant drain on the world economy. Further, it negatively impacts legitimate economic activity and facilitates an underground economy and organized crime that deprives governments of revenues for vital public services, forces higher burdens on taxpayers, dislocates hundreds of thousands of legitimate jobs and exposes consumers to dangerous and ineffective products.
The COVID-19 pandemic has called for greater focus on addressing the growing hazards of counterfeiting and smuggling which are severely impacting the economy and endangering lives of consumers. While the government is continuously intensifying efforts to combat the spread of the coronavirus by enacting various measures to support public health systems, safeguard the economy and ensure the safety of its citizens, illegal operators are taking advantage of the pandemic by providing illicit alternatives of items, both online and offline.
Even before the onset of the pandemic, OECD in 2019 stated that trade in counterfeits and pirated goods has risen steadily over the last few years and stood at 3.3% of global trade. Unfortunately, the pandemic not only complicated it but has made matters worse with estimates from The World Economic Forum stating that over US$2.2 trillion (3% of global GDP) would be lost due to illicit trade leakages in 2020.
The current environment most certainly presented a new opportunity for all stakeholders to tackle this long-standing problem. It is with the above background that FICCI’s Committee Against Smuggling and Counterfeiting Activities Destroying the Economy (CASCADE) organized the 7th edition of its annual programme MASCRADE (Movement Against Smuggled and Counterfeit Trade) 2021 on January 21-22, with the theme ’Impact of Counterfeiting and Smuggling on Personal Health and Safety’. MASCRADE 2021 focused on addressing the debilitating impact of counterfeiting and smuggling on global economies. This conference was a conscious and well directed attempt to bring in the best minds from the fields of policy making, law, brand protection, industry, enforcement agencies and media to find a holistic and permanent solution to the problem of counterfeiting and smuggling, which if left unchecked, threatens to subvert the economic and societal stability of countries across the world.
Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, inaugurating the 7th Edition of MASCRADE 2021, emphasized the challenges of COVID 19 pandemic and illegal operators of drugs. He stated, “Amid the chaos created by the Covid-19 pandemic and the various policy responses designed to contain its spread, illicit players have used the pandemic as an opportunity to increase their nefarious activities, causing significant damage to the economy of the nation, and health and safety of people worldwide.”
Dr. Harsh Vardhan also called for greater focus on coming together to address the growing hazards of counterfeiting and smuggling. In this regard, he said, “Businesses and industry must come together and partner with the government to become a greater force in fighting this growing threat with the ultimate goal of keeping consumers safe. The methods by which spurious, misbranded and adulterated drugs enter the distribution channel have become increasingly complex. Weak points in the distribution processes of pharmaceutical products provide an avenue for entry of such products in the supply chain. This is an issue where industry players can and must play an active role to help identify and plug these loopholes,” he said.
Mr. Kunio Mikuriya, Secretary General, World Customs Organization, in his keynote address said, “While the movement of people has been severely restricted at the borders, customs has been working tirelessly to ensure the smooth cross border movement of essential goods including medicines and medical supplies. On the other hand, we are mindful that criminal organizations could exploit the current pandemic to obtain illegal profits. Hence, Customs-Business Partnership in addressing together the scourge of counterfeiting and smuggling is imperative.”
In a special address, Hon’ble Justice Manmohan Sarin, Former Lokayukta, NCT of Delhi, Chief Justice, High Court of Jammu & Kashmir, Judge, High Court of Delhi and Think Tank Member, FICCI CASCADE, highlighted the harmful effects of smuggled and counterfeit goods, and elaborated on the importance to introduce and enhance laws related to such crimes and create the requisite deterrents to dissuade those indulging in it.
Mr. Uday Shankar, President, FICCI welcomed the dignitaries and complimenting the government’s call for Vocal for Local said, “an ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ will not only increase share of manufacturing in the country’s GDP, create job opportunities in India and drive home the value of indigenously produced goods, but will also build ‘Brand India’ and deter cross border illicit trade.
The perpetrators of illicit trade have made deep inroads into popular pandemic products like sanitizers, face masks, PPE Kits, medicine, disinfectants, toiletries and much more. The fake FMCG market is growing at an annual rate of 44.4% which is higher than the growth rate of the overall FMCG market. Moreover, 3 lakh crore of FMCG products circulated in India are counterfeit. Highlighting this challenge, Mr. Anil Rajput, Chairman, FICCI CASCADE said, “It is a fact that the Industry is reeling under the impact of the COVID pandemic with some sectors expected to make faster recovery. While for many others, it will be a slow and painful way back to the pre-COVID levels.” Drawing similarities between illicit trade and the COVID pandemic, Mr. Rajput said, “COVID virus and illicit trade have a lot in common as both cause immense economic, social and individual distress. While we are at a point of countering the virus, it is illicit trade that has and continues to damage humankind in a massive manner”.
The two-day long event, which was held virtually on 21-22 January:
- Looked at the economic consequences of counterfeiting and smuggling and the policies needed to deter this activity.
- Contributed to an integrated vision of security and public safety.
- Deepened the understanding of “grey markets” for smuggled and counterfeit goods which has seen a surge during COVID times.
- Assessed the impact of the growing illicit trade worldwide and tried to provide practical recommendations and effective strategies to mitigate this challenge especially in a post COVID era.
Various issues such as Illicit trade amid public health crisis; placing public health and safety at the heart of the fight against smuggling and counterfeiting; and quarantining counterfeiting and smuggling to accelerate action against criminals, among others, were deliberated in the two-day dialogue. The need for a systematic treatment and persuasion by global community for stronger enforcement to combat this menace was reiterated by a host of notable international speakers from World Customs Organization, INTERPOL, OECD, TRACIT, UKIPO, Italian Law Enforcement Agency, senior enforcement officers from the field and captains from the industry.
Coverage reportDownload Pdf
1654 bottles of smuggled liquor seized in Vehicle inspection at Panchalingala border in Kurnool
Kurnool:The cops of Special Enforcement Bureau (SEB) have seized the smuggled Non Duty Paid Liquor (NDPL) bottles of various in large numbers. Around 1323 bottles were seized during vehicle checking conducted at Panchalingala border check on Friday. Apart from 1323 another 331 liquor bottles were also seized at various places in the district. Altogether the cops have seized 1654 liquor bottles were seized.
In addition to the NDPL the cops have also seized 22 ghutka packets, 60 kilograms of jaggery, 150 liters of country made liquor, 9 tons of sand, 10 vehicles used to transport liquor and sand were also seized. Even 27 persons for smuggling Liquor and 2 persons for transporting sand were arrested. The cops have filed 21 cases and 3080 litres of jaggery wash was destroyed.
The Circle Inspector of SEB, N Lakshmi Durgaiah told The Hans India that following the orders of SP, Fakkeerappa Kaginelli, ASP, Gowthami Sali and Deputy Commissioner, Sri Latha vehicle checking was intensified at the Panchalingala border check post. During the course of checking we intercepted a vehicle of one B Muddu Krishnam Naidu, resident of Geetha Nagar, Kurnool. When we checked we detected large number, around 1323, of liquor bottles that are being transported into Andhra Pradesh from Telangana state. While checking, the accused, Muddu Krishnam Naidu managed escape but we have arrested one person that was travelling in the car, said Lakshmi Durgaiah.
Lear MoreGold smuggling: 55.61 kg of foreign gold worth Rs 28 crore seized by DRI.
In a major bust of the Myanmar-India gold smuggling network, the Delhi Zonal Unit of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) on Thursday seized 55.61 kg of foreign origin gold valued at Rs 28 crore from eight persons at two locations, Delhi and Lucknow.
According to Ministry of Finance, specific information was developed by DRI regarding smuggling of huge quantity of foreign origin gold from Myanmar into India through the Indo-Myanmar border and sending it to different parts of India.
“The spurt of economic activity seen after the lifting of COVID related lockdowns throughout the country, combined with the pent-up demand for gold, coincided with a surge in such smuggling activities. The blocking of air routes through the lock down period also saw a significant shift in the modus operandi of smugglers from the air routes to the land route through the Indo-Myanmar border,” the FinMin said in a release.
The ministry said that the DRI officers have made a string of spectacular gold seizures in the past six months. This include seizure of 51.33 kg of smuggled gold in November 2020 by the DRI Guwahati Zonal Unit, seizure of 84 kg and 66 kg of smuggled gold in August and November 2020, respectively, by the DRI Zonal Unit, and the present seizure of 55.61 kg of gold by the Delhi Zonal Unit, being the latest in the series.
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