Webinar on Combating Counterfeiting and Smuggling during the COVID-19 Pandemic and Beyond, West Bengal
07/07/2020 | West Bengal
Even in normal times, there has been a growing recognition of the threat that illicit trade such as smuggling and counterfeiting pose to the stability, safety and security of a nation. But now, with the onslaught of the Covid-19 crisis, concerns are growing that the scale and scope of such activities could be increasing as authorities are distracted and overwhelmed by the unprecedented health crisis and the corresponding economic fallout. It is difficult to fathom the long-term impact of COVID-19, however, its detrimental effects are expected to disrupt supply chain operations of organizations.
These disruptions open up multiple avenues for fraudsters to prey upon susceptible organizations and consumers. New vulnerabilities may emerge, and existing vulnerabilities may be at a greater risk of exploitation by fraudsters. Hence, tackling this global scourge becomes even more acute and urgent in the current scenario. More so, as a result of the supply chain disruptions, globalisation has now taken a back seat and nations are increasingly looking inwards to fulfill their needs and requirements. PM’s clarion call to promote local manufacturing and local goods will also play a crucial role to eliminate this illicit trade as it will reduce the demand of imported goods and deter cross border smuggling of goods.
It is with the above background, FICCI’s Committee Against Smuggling and Counterfeiting Activities Destroying the Economy (CASCADE) organized a webinar on ‘Combating Counterfeiting and Smuggling during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond’ on 7th July 2020. The webinar focused on the state of West Bengal and was a part of a series of such interactions to be organized across the country by FICCI CASCADE to highlight this issue and elicit response from different states.
Mr. Sadhan Pande, Minister–in-Charge, Consumer Affairs Department, Govt. of West Bengal was the chief guest at the programme said, “Counterfeiting and smuggling are two major economic crimes that are happening around the globe and the West Bengal government is making extra efforts to combat such crimes even during this pandemic.” Hon’ble Minister also invited CASCADE to join hands with his department to run a campaign on the subject in West Bengal.
West Bengal is a big state, both in terms of size as well as population. It shares boundaries with three countries – Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal. Unfortunately, the smugglers and counterfeiters have been persistent in their unlawful activities. As per DRI (Directorate of Revenue Intelligence), over the past one year, about 200 cases involving outright smuggling have been booked in the East and North East India by the DRI and Customs formations in these regions, resulting in seizure of goods worth Rs 480 crores, mainly coming from Myanmar and Bangladesh through the land borders apart from goods seized at the international airport and port in Kolkata).The major commodities smuggled outright into India from the eastern and north eastern India, include gold, silver, FICN, cigarettes, black pepper, readymade garments, toiletries and cosmetics, wild life, dates, electronic goods etc.
Mr. Deepankar Aron, Additional Director General, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Kolkata remarked that smuggling and counterfeiting is the second most significant illegal trade. Citing recent major detections effected by DRI and Customs formations, Mr. Aron said that in last one year, 570 kgs of gold valued at Rs 220 crores and foreign currency worth Rs 30 crore was seized. He also added that several cases of smuggled cigarettes were detected where a total of 2.6 crores of cigarette sticks valued at around Rs 26 crores were also seized.
DRI has been working on addressing wild life smuggling apart from combating various other types of Cross Border Crime. Illegal wildlife trade ranks as the fourth largest transnational organized crime globally, only after the illegal trade in Narcotics, Counterfeit goods and Human trafficking. Mr. Aron highlighted that there is an unfortunate and increasing trend in smuggling of endangered and exotic fauna from different parts of the world into India.
Mr. Anil Rajput, Chairman, FICCI CASCADE welcomed all and thanked the Minister of Consumer Affairs, West Bengal Government, for his suggestion that the West Bengal government and FICCI CASCADE join hands and work together on the extremely important aspect of consumer awareness. Mr. Rajput emphasized that Illicit trade is indeed a big menace, and collaborations between all stakeholders is needed to eradicate this evil, which has made deep inroads in our country.
The interactive session was moderated by Mr. Hem Pande, Former Secretary, Dept. of Consumer Affairs, GoI who highlighted that the menace of illicit trade is impacting jobs, economy and creating havoc all around the world. Strengthening enforcement and empowering consumers to combat such crimes should be the constant endeavour. The webinar was attended by several participants from industry, government officials, officers from the enforcement agencies and stakeholders in this segment.
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Huge cache of premium liquor seized in village near Ranchi.
Ranchi police on Thursday seized a huge cache of India made foreign liquor (IMFL), which peddlers were planning to smuggle to neighbouring Bihar, a state where manufacture, sale and consumption of liquor is prohibited.
A team from Pithoria police station seized the consignment from an abandoned building in Oena village, around 30 km from here, in the wee hours of Thursday and nabbed four peddlers, who confessed to smuggling liquor to Bihar, police said.
“We are still calculating the quantity of liquor. It comprised bottles of premium and expensive brands, which would have been smuggled to Bihar for sale in the black market,” said Ranchi SSP S.K. Jha.
Tests were on to determine whether the liquor in the bottles was genuine, mixed with local brands or illicit.
But Jha said the catch was crucial as it would lead police to people who were involved in bottling liquor in Ranchi and other parts of Jharkhand. “We have to understand the gravity of the matter. Illicit liquor poses major health risks to consumers,” he said.
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$1.6 million in illegal cigarettes seized.
Over $1.6 million of illegal tobacco has been seized and taken off the streets by local police.
On July 5, members of the Dryden OPP were conducting traffic enforcement duties on Highway 17 east of Dryden, when they stopped and investigated two vehicles.
Between the two vehicles, police found and seized 386 cases of illegal cigarettes with an estimated value of $1.6 million.
Contraband tobacco seizures in the Dryden area on April 30, May 10, May 16, May 26 and June 3 seized over $1.3 million worth of illegal cigarettes heading to Manitoba and other western provinces, says the OPP.
The Government of Ontario’s Ernst and Yount Report commissioned in the fall of 2018 found that the government is losing over $750 million in province excise tax to the illicit trade, combined with the federal excise tax losses, the total is over $1 billion.
https://www.drydennow.com/local/1-6-million-in-illegal-cigarettes-seized
Lear MoreUttarakhand: Three held with counterfeit notes
PITHORAGARH: Champawat police arrested three persons with counterfeit currency and printing equipment on Wednesday. Fake currency with the face value of Rs 4 lakh was seized from their possession. These persons circulated the money in rural pockets.
Superintendent of police (SP) Lokeshwar Singh said, “Police, on a tipoff, checked a bike at Manihargod locality of Tanakpur police station on Wednesday evening and intercepted two persons.
On searching, they recovered counterfeit currency with face value of Rs 4 lakh.” “The accused were identified as Vrij Kishor, resident of Amaria village and Riyaz, resident of Balia village, of Pilibhit in Uttar Pradesh,” the SP said.
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Smuggled foreign cigarettes seized in Hyderabad, five held.
Smuggled foreign cigarettes valued at ₹ 1.03 crore were seized by Hyderabad city police on Friday. The contraband was concealed in 503 cartons.
Acting on a tip-off, sleuths of the Commissioner’s Task Force (North Zone) intercepted a goods vehicle near Rishab Agency in Siddiamber Bazar and found huge quantities of foreign cigarettes, which were smuggled into the city.
The team led by inspector K Nageswar Rao apprehended five persons — Vipul Ranka, Jagadish Kumar, Doongarchand Shrishrimal, Pavan Kumar Perthani and M.A Haneef —, who were illegally importing the cigarettes from Delhi via Sarna Transport without valid invoice, delivery challan or even GST invoice. They were selling the contraband to pan shops, kirana shops and petty vendors in around Hyderabad.
Police said Vipul Ranka, hailing from Rajasthan, had migrated to Hyderabad a few years ago. He ran tailoring and Agarbatti material business at Begum Bazaar and was illegally procuring and selling foreign cigarettes.
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P93-M smuggled cigarettes seized at Port of Subic.
MANILA, Philippines — Smuggled cigarettes worth an estimated P93 million were seized at the Port of Subic, the Bureau of Customs (BOC) reported Friday.
BOC said that on Wednesday, July 1, it seized, through the District Collection Port of Subic, three 40-foot containers containing the smuggled cigarettes, which were declared as LED lights.
The smuggled cigarettes were discovered after the containers went through X-ray and physical examination. Some 3,100 master cases of cigarettes were seized, BOC said.
District Collector Maritess T. Martin issued a warrant of seizure and detention (WSD) against the shipment while the consignee is now subject to further investigation for the possible violation of the National Tobacco Administration (NTA) Board Resolution No. 079-2005, NTA Memorandum Circular No. 03, Series of 2004, in relation to sec. 1113 (f) of RA 10863 otherwise known as the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA).
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1301175/p93-m-smuggled-cigarettes-seized-at-port-of-subic
Lear MoreGold smuggling racket busted in Kochi: Role of film stars suspected
An incident that came to light as a one-off crime report last week in Kochi has snowballed into a major criminal case with international ramifications. Some of the prominent Malayalam film stars are being used as couriers to smuggle in gold from West Asian countries to various groups including terrorist gangs, if the reports coming out of Ernakulam Police Station are any indication.
It all started with Shamna Kasim, an upcoming film artist complaining to the Police that a group of people who had approached her parents with marriage proposal were hatching a plan to kidnap her with the intention to ask for ransom money.
Shamna’s mother filed a police case against five persons who had approached the family with a marriage proposal. The group had furnished fake identities about the youth and his family. This was followed by the group calling on Shamna’s parents at her Kochi home. Their dubious behaviour aroused suspicion in the minds of her parents who filed a complaint.
The police arrested all the five youth mentioned in the complaint and took into custody five more persons who are said to be their associates. It turned out that they were members of a major racket specialising in gold smuggling, blackmailing and flesh trade. On interrogation, the youth disclosed that they were in contact with many more film personalities.
Lear MoreWebinar on Combating Counterfeiting and Smuggling during the COVID-19 Pandemic and Beyond, Jammu & Kashmir
02/07/2020 | Jammu & Kashmir
The adverse impact of counterfeiting and smuggling on economies and societies across the globe has been a cause of serious concern. It deprives the government of its rightful revenue, completely demoralises the morale of the law abiding product manufacturers and exposes people to health and safety hazards. Illicit trade is the world’s largest growing industry with an estimated size ranging between $650 million to $3 trillion representing 10% of the global trade.
Since years, the world has been the battling this menace. Unfortunately the problem has only compounded in the current situation, where criminals have used the COVID-19 pandemic as an opportunity to exploit the vulnerable consumer by providing illicit alternatives of goods and products causing significant damage to consumers and economies alike. Moreover, as businesses suffer, during this crisis, any sale of such products will only worsen the socio-economic distress. While arresting this menace is vital, encouraging the use of indigenous goods will also play a defining role to eliminate this socio-economic threat. Hon’ble Prime Minister’s clarion call ‘Vocal for Local’ will benefit Indian economy, reduce the demand of imported goods, create jobs and deter cross border illicit trade.
It is with the above background, FICCI’s Committee Against Smuggling and Counterfeiting Activities Destroying the Economy (CASCADE) organized a webinar on ‘Combating Counterfeiting and Smuggling during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond’ on 2nd July 2020, focusing on the state of was Jammu and Kashmir. The webinar was a part of a series of such interactions to be organised across the country by FICCI CASCADE to highlight this issue and elicit response from different states.
Dr. Mehraj-ud-din Rather, KAS, Additional Secretary, Department of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs, Govt. of Jammu and Kashmir in his keynote address said that “The COVID-19 pandemic has heightened the dangers posed by illicit trade. These times call for greater focus on the growing hazards of smuggling and counterfeiting. With consumer awareness of fake and smuggled so low, many consumers are unaware that they are buying such goods—and equally unaware of the consequences.”
Mr. Anil Rajput, Chairman, FICCI CASCADE in his opening remarks mentioned that “The UT of Jammu and Kashmir is particularly vulnerable to the ill effects of illicit trade, and this is due to the environment of instability created by the hostility amongst the neighbouring nations.”
Over the last few months seizures of fake currency, cigarettes, illicit liquor, fake hand sanitizers etc. have been reported in Jammu and Kashmir. Government departments and the state enforcement agencies have taken strict actions against those dealing in such goods and products. Complimenting the role played by the enforcement agencies of J&K to check the growth of illicit trade, Mr. Rajput said, “The Prime Minister’s call on ‘Vocal for local’ will create a conducive environment for the economy of the state government and play a major role in strengthening India.”
Mr. Manish K Sinha, IPS, Inspector General, Crime, Jammu and Kashmir Police emphasised on the need for policy level coordination between police and the industry bodies to address this issue. He was of the view of that counterfeiting has an adverse impact in Jammu & Kashmir as illegal trade not only leads to revenue loss to the government but also leads to unemployment amongst the youth in Jammu and Kashmir. Mr. Sinha underscored that IP offences still lack focus of the police in the state, as there is no specialized anti-IP crime unit in J&K; there is no training imparted with respect to investigations of such offences to the officers and there is no incentive for officers vis a viz such crimes. Hence, efforts such as sensitization/training and having an anti-IP crime cell in the Economic Offences Wing in J&K could be made.
Mr. D P Dash, IRS, Former Pr. Director-General, DRI and Former Chairman, Enforcement Committee, World Customs Organisation (WCO) moderated the session and said that “As new medicines and vaccines will be beyond the reach of millions, this will lead to an upsurge in smuggling and counterfeiting, hence enforcement agencies have to gear up to face this challenge.”
The webinar also threw light on the efforts of the Industry in tackling the flow of illicit products during the current crisis; the role that the government and enforcement agencies can play to thwart criminals who are cashing in during the crisis and highlighted areas of concern in consumer safety. The webinar was attended by industry, government officials, officers from the enforcement agencies and stakeholders in this segment.
Coverage reportDownload Pdf
Vizianagaram: Counterfeit currency racket busted, six arrested
Vizianagaram: Police on Tuesday busted a counterfeit currency racket and arrested six persons here. According to Superintendent of Police B Rajakumari, a former employee in Indian Navy and his close friends had generated fake currency notes on photocopying machines in Vizianagaram city. The gang had learnt printing fake currency notes from YouTube video.
The police, the SP said, had seized counterfeit currency notes with a face value of Rs 31 lakh and genuine currency notes worth of Rs 1.6 lakh from the arrested. K Ramu of Akkivaram village under Denkada mandal retired from Navy and formed a group of persons for printing counterfeit currency. The gang, in fact, had printed fake notes and even offered some of them to their friends and relatives. The gang’ bid to purchase sheep at a weekly market at Savaravilli village under Bhogapuram manda by using fake currency to pay proved to be its nemesis, the police said.
Lear MoreR4 million cigarette smuggling racket busted.
Smuggling of cigarettes from Zimbabwe into South Africa through illegal crossing points along the Limpopo River, always a problem because of the tax differences, increased dramatically from the beginning of April when South African lockdown regulations banned cigarette sales.
Authorities estimate that around 30 percent of cigarettes sold in South Africa are smuggled from Zimbabwe including Pacific, Remington gold, Mega, Dullahs, Branson and Servilles brands.
This has been a problem for some time because the South African Customs Union taxes tobacco at much higher rates than Zimbabwe, opening arbitrage possibilities for smugglers.
The ban on tobacco sales under the South African lockdown just made supplying the black market even more profitable, so more people became involved. But a crackdown on both sides of the border has seen more than 30 people arrested in the last fortnight, and the seizure of cigarettes worth an estimated R4 million.
https://www.herald.co.zw/r4-million-cigarette-smuggling-racket-busted/
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