1m fake Viagra pills, designer goods seized in Los Angeles
US customs officers in Los Angeles have intercepted a big haul of counterfeit Viagra tablets, along with fake designer wear, car emblems and headphones, in three containers arriving from China.
The haul included 1m falsified 100mg tablets of Pfizer’s erectile dysfunction treatment in 30 count bottles as well as a wide range of counterfeit bags, shoes and belts claiming to be genuine Louboutin, Dior, Nike, Versace, Fendi, Burberry and Louis Vuitton items, and knock-off Beats by Dr Dre headphones.
Viagra and other ED drugs have been a perennial target for counterfeiters, seeking to cash in on the reluctance of some men to approach their doctors for a prescription.
There have also been reports of increasing use of ED drugs by young men seeking to improve sexual performance, or to offset the libido-sapping effects of some recreational drugs.
If genuine, the total value of the seized goods would have been worth upwards of $32m, and were likely destined for sale to unsuspecting consumers in the built-up to Christmas. The three containers were searched on arrival at the LA/Long Beach Seaport.
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Counterfeit beauty products bad for the body and for business.
This week the IP Key South-East Asia (SEA) project, funded by the European Union (EU), launched the second phase of the “Your Health Is Priceless” campaign to promote consumer awareness and avoidance of counterfeit cosmetics and personal care products, including beauty goods such as skincare and face injections.
The cosmetic sector in Cambodia is projected to reach $13 million this year with the average person expected to spend around $9.60 on self-care products. But with the market growing there are more fake and dangerous products being put into circulation as scammers look to make a quick buck. Unscrupulous business practices, such as fraud in quality, quantity and price gouging put consumers at considerable risk. Counterfeit products are addressed as a serious problem in the Kingdom and are routinely confiscated and disposed of by burning throughout the year.
In November the government destroyed 540.7 tonnes of counterfeit medicines, cosmetics and other products that had been seized throughout the year, the Cambodia Counter-Counterfeit Committee reported. According to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), at least 63 percent of the world’s fake goods originate from China.
https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50794694/counterfeit-beauty-products-bad-for-the-body-and-for-business/
Lear MoreGold, foreign currency, iPhones, cigarettes worth Rs 2.65 crore seized by Chennai Air Customs; 7 arrested
Chennai: In separate cases, Chennai Air Customs officials seized 4.77 kg gold worth Rs 2.41 crore, foreign currency worth Rs 5.13 lakh and iPhones, cigarettes, health supplements worth Rs 19.15 lakhs and made seven arrests.
Based on intelligence, officials intercepted and frisked four passengers – Mohammed Rabeek of Ramanathapuram, Mohamed Yazeer Khan of Chennai, Mujeebur Rahman and Bilal from Tiruchirapalli, who had arrived from Dubai via Air India Express flight IX 1644. Four gold cut bits (198 grams), four gold chains, six gold paste packets were recovered from their jeans.
iPhone 12 units, cigarettes, health supplements valued at Rs 9.8 lakh were also recovered from their handbags and seized. Eight bundles of gold paste weighing 1.928 kg were recovered from the rectum of Mujeebur and Bilal, which yielded 1.72 kg gold on extraction. Mujeebur, Bilal and Mohamed Rabeek were arrested.
Lear MoreFour nabbed for smuggling liquor
The police have arrested four liquor smugglers during raids conducted in various parts of the city on Sunday and recovered 30 bottles and 96 nips (quarters) from the suspects who have been booked under sections of the Excise Act.
Manu Kumar, a resident of Dr Ambedkar Nagar, was nabbed by the police while selling liquor outside his house. A police patrol party seized 13 bottles of First Choice whisky from his possession. A case under Sections 61, 1 and 14 of the Excise Act has been registered.
The police arrested Ram Asre of Rajiv Gandhi Colony when the suspect was going towards the railway tracks carrying 12 bottles of Santra brand country liquor and five bottles of First Choice whisky. He has been booked under Sections 61, 1 and 14 of the Excise Act.
https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/ludhiana/four-nabbed-for-smuggling-liquor-184591
Lear Morellegal liquor worth Rs73L destroyed
Yavatmal: After a court order, Wani police destroyed illegal liquor worth Rs.73 lakh on Friday. The liquor was seized from the mafia operating across the district borders to neighbouring Chandrapur where the government had earlier banned manufacturing, sale and consumption.
The ban had paved the way for the mafia to smuggle liquor from Yavatmal district to Chandrapur, Gadchiroli and Wardha (all dry districts). A road roller was hired to smash the entire stock of illegal liquor to pulp. The illegal liquor had piled up since five years.
MP Balu Dhanorkar and state minister Vijay Wadettiwar have been demanding the lifting of the liquor ban. They said the rising sale of illegal liquor is hitting the revenues of the state government.
Various anti-liquor lobbies have challenged the proposal and threatened to intensify their agitation.
Lear MoreThane: Fake currency worth Rs 85 lakh seized, three held
THANE: The crime branch unit -5 of the city police arrested three person including jeweller and seized from their possession counterfeit currency notes worth Rs. 85.4 lakhs, hit by the pandemic due to covid-19, the accused turned towards this.
Those arrested are identified as Sachin Agre,29, Mansoor Hussain Khan, 45, both residents of Chiplun in Ratnagiri and Chandrakant Mahadeo Mane, 45, Sakinaka, Mumbai, said DCP Crime Laxmikant Patil.
The police said based on a tipoff to the Senior Inspector Vikas Ghodke of the wagle Unit that some persons were coming to the Kapurbawdi circle for sale of currency notes laid a trap on Wednesday evening and nabbed the accused.
Ghode informed that the police first arrested the accused Sachin Agre and seized from his possession the currency notes of Rs. 2,000 denomination. AGre is well versed with the working of the computers and Mane who has jeweller shop had shut it due to losses in lockdown due to pandemic and has a loan of Rs 40 lakh, hence he convicnced the duo to start the manufacturing the fake currency.
Fake mobile accessories racket busted in Mumbai, products worth Rs 33 lakh seized
The Economic Offence Wing of Mumbai police busted a fake mobile accessories racket in Mumbai and seized counterfeit products worth Rs 33 lakh.
The Economic Offence Wing of Mumbai police busted a fake mobile accessories racket running in South Mumbai on Wednesday. One person was arrested while duplicate mobile accessories worth over Rs 33 lakh were seized by police.
The accused also used to provide customers with duplicate warranty cards along with the fake mobile accessories of big brands of smartphones, said police. “More arrests are likely in this case in the coming days,” said police.
Acting on a tip off, police conducted a raid at a shop at White House, Belasis Road, Nagpada, Mumbai. Duplicate mobile accessories of Samsung and other brands were stored in huge quantity at the shop.
Lear MoreBusted: 20 factories selling counterfeit masks, sanitisers in UAE
Dubai: The coronavirus pandemic has come as a windfall for counterfeiters! The surge in demand for personal protection and hygiene products has led to a flurry of illegal activities involving their counterfeiting in the UAE, the head of a law firm told Gulf News on the sidelines of the annual ‘Intellectual Property and Brand Protection Training’ workshop held in Dubai on Sunday.
“Nearly 20 factories selling substandard face masks, disinfectants and hand sanitisers have been busted in the UAE since the outbreak of the virus,” said Hatem Ghani, director at the intellectual property department at The Legal Group Advocates and Legal Consultants, which organised the workshop and which was attended by customs and police officials as well as representatives of top international brands.
Hatem said the counterfeiters were using the pandemic to exploit huge spikes in demand for pharmaceutical products such as masks and sanitisers.
https://gulfnews.com/uae/busted-20-factories-selling-counterfeit-masks-sanitisers-in-uae-1.75724340
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BOC-Zambo destroys P183-M smuggled cigarettes
The Bureau of Customs (BOC)-Zamboanga District Office led the destruction Monday of some PHP183 million worth of smuggled cigarettes in this city.
Segundo Sigmundfreud Barte Jr., BOC-Zamboanga district collector, said the assorted cigarettes were seized in separate anti-smuggling operations since September this year in the region and in the Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi (BaSulTa) provinces.
More than 5,200 master cases of cigarettes were scattered on an outdoor yard of a warehouse in Barangay Baliwasan, this city and drenched with water by firemen and crushed with the use of a backhoe.
The destroyed cigarettes were later transported and disposed in the city’s sanitary landfill in Barangay Salaan. Barte said that the aggressive anti-smuggling campaign, as well as the immediate destruction and disposal of the contraband, was a firm directive from BOC Commissioner Rey Leonardo Guerrero.
https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1124010
Lear MoreAndhra Pradesh: Chittoor police seize 1,104 liquor bottles smuggled from Karnataka
TIRUPATI: Chittoor police seized 1104 liquor bottles worth approximately Rs.1.75 lakh and arrested two persons on Saturday.
Following the instructions of Chittoor SP S Senthil Kumar a special team led by DSP Sudhakar Reddy has stepped up the offensive against illegal smuggling of liquor into the state from Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
Chittoor police who were conducting vehicular searches along the Chittoor-Bengaluru highway near D Venganapalli cross in the early hours on Saturday arrested two persons identified as T Raja and C Reddy Prasad on charges of smuggling liquor into thw state from Karnataka.
Police seized 1104 liquor bottles worth Rs 1.75 lakh and also the car used for the smuggling activity.
DSP Sudhakar Reddy noted that both the accused were seasoned offenders against whom several liquor smuggling cases were registered in the past as well.