Three men suspected of smuggling 870,000 contraband cigarettes granted bail.
Three men suspected of smuggling some 870,000 contraband cigarettes, who were arrested by the police in the Fekruna area last month, have been granted bail.
James Azzopardi and James Spiteri both from Qormi and Redeemer Camilleri from Marsa stand accused of the importation and possession of smuggled contraband cigarettes, as well as tax and duty evasion.
Azzopardi alone is accused of possessing an unregistered boat and of breaching bail conditions imposed on him last July.
This afternoon, Inspector Mark Mercieca from the Drug Squad testified about the events leading up to the arrests on November 8 when police, acting on a tip-off, had started covert surveillance of a boat which Azzopardi kept at a private compound at Hal Farrug.
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$1.7 Million in Counterfeit Nike Sneakers Seized en Route to California.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Port of Newark and New York seized more than 9,000 pairs of counterfeit Nike sneakers on their way to California. The shoes, if authentic, would have a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $1,695,600.
The shipment was intercepted in September en route to an address in Chino, Calif., from Dongguan City, China, and CBP says that agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement are continuing to investigate the case.
It won’t be the first time the agency is looking into Nike counterfeiters: In August, it charged five Queens, N.Y., residents with conspiring to traffic in more than $70 million worth of Air Jordans, charges that have a maximum prison sentence of 20 years each.
https://footwearnews.com/2018/focus/athletic-outdoor/nike-counterfeit-sneakers-seized-1202714529/
Lear MoreThree Arrested For Trying To Smuggle $80,000 From Kolkata Airport.
The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) busted a syndicate involved in smuggling foreign currency out of the country and seized $80,000 at the Kolkata airport, an official said today.
Three people have been arrested, the official added. The gang had a unique modus operandi.
With hidden bundles of foreign currency notes in their shoes, two members of the group — Sheikh Masiruddin and Md Akhtar Moeni — cleared security check and waited at the domestic departure security hold area. At around the same time, the third member of the gang, Ziaul Mustafa, entered the airport to fly to Bangkok.
After being issued his boarding pass, Mr Mustafa cleared immigration and customs and entered the international departure security hold area before boarding his flight.
A chained glass door separates the domestic departure security hold area from the international departure zone.
Lear MoreAnti-Counterfeit Packaging Ma
Anti-Counterfeit Packaging Market by Technology (RFID, Barcode, Hologram, Taggants), Usage Feature (Overt & Covert), End-Use Industry (Food & beverage, Healthcare, Electronics & automotive, Consumer durables), and Region – Global Forecast to 2023
Markets and Markets projects that the anti-counterfeit packaging market size will grow from USD 105.9 billion in 2018 to USD 182.2 billion by 2023, at a CAGR of 11.5%. The anti-counterfeit packaging market is projected to witness a high growth due to the increasing focus of manufacturers on brand protection to reduce counterfeiting.
By technology, the RFID segment is projected to grow at the highest CAGR from 2018 to 2023.
In terms of value, the RFID technology segment accounted for the second-largest market share in 2017 and is projected to grow at a highest CAGR during the forecast period. This growth can be attributed to its usage in almost all industries such as automotive, chemical, construction, food & beverages, and pharmaceutical industries. The barcode sector of the technology segment constituted highest share in the anti-counterfeit packaging market; and is projected to grow at a second-highest rate during the forecast period as it is highly preferred for brand protection in almost all industries but especially in personal care & cosmetics products. This is due to the information and code embossed over the barcode does not allow the covert data to be displayed on the label, making it difficult for counterfeiters to copy. A barcode helps companies to integrate product lines and reduce the total cost of ownership.
By usage feature, the overt technology is projected to be the largest market during the forecast period
In terms of value, the overt technology of the usage feature segment accounted for the largest market share in 2017 and is also projected to grow at a higher CAGR during the forecast period. Overt is the most widely used technology as they display product information, brand identification symbols, and transportation details during shipping.
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India’s coastal security: An assessment
Coastal preparedness is better than earlier — but the overall picture remains less than satisfactory. While the state of inter-agency coordination has improved, state governments continue to be indifferent to needs of coastal security, and the state-police still reluctant to shoulder responsibility.
The tenth anniversary of 26/11 is an apt occasion to review the state of India’s coastal security preparedness. In the aftermath of the attacks on Mumbai, the government made concerted efforts to improve coastal security infrastructure and law enforcement. In a radical overhaul of the coastal defence apparatus, a three-tier security grid was installed with the Indian Navy, the coast guard, and the marine police jointly patrolling India’s near-seas. An existing Coastal Security Scheme (originally instituted in 2005) was accelerated, with greater fund allocations for coastal infrastructure, including police stations and radar stations along India’s coastline. The enterprise included measures to improve ‘surveillance and domain awareness,’ through the installation of radar stations and identification systems), and the enhancement of coordination through Joint Operation Centres (JOCs).
A decade later, coastal preparedness is better than earlier, but the overall picture remains less than satisfactory. While the state of inter-agency coordination has improved, state governments continue to be indifferent to needs of coastal security, and the state-police still reluctant to shoulder responsibility. The real problem, observers point out, are systemic flaws in the policing apparatus. From low numbers of marine police stations, to the underutilisation of patrol boats for coastal tasks, absence of shore-based infrastructure, through to manpower shortages and unspent funds, coastal managers are yet to resolve many structural issues plaguing the system.
Regrettably, the proposal to set up an apex coastal authority remains frozen. India’s policymakers recognise the need for a full-time manager to coordinate the large number of agencies (over 15) in the coastal security space. Officials say that the National Committee for Strengthening Maritime and Coastal Security, which presently coordinates joint activities, is at best an ad hoc arrangement. Yet, parliament has not been able to clear the coastal security bill that would establish a National Maritime Authority (NMA).
https://www.orfonline.org/expert-speak/indias-coastal-security-an-assessment-45692/
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Does Counterfeit Fashion Fund Terrorism?
According to fashion writers and historians, every woman’s wardrobe should contain that versatile “little black dress” (LBD). The origins of the phrase and the simple, yet elegant, black cocktail dress predate that worn by Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly in the iconic 1960s film Breakfast at Tiffany’s and stretch back in the annals of time to the designs of Coco Chanel and Jean Patou in the 1920s.
As a staple fashion icon, it can be worn with everything to go to anywhere-from the dressy to the dress down. But it can also mean “dressed to kill,” if the LBD in question is a fake? If the sale of such counterfeit fashion was funding another kind of black icon—the black flag of ISIS, or so-called Islamic State.
Would every woman still covet one if the black were tinged red with the blood of innocent civilians or martyred jihadists on the streets of Europe? Would the dress still have its lure and appeal?
There has long been suspicion that counterfeit fashion goods and their sale in the United States and Europe raise millions for what have become cash-rich terrorist causes across the Middle East. The recently recaptured cities of Mosul and Raqqa have given up their grisly secrets of torture and murder in the name of a cause that ruled its so-called “caliphates” with fear and brutal repression and have been bank-rolled in part through the sale of counterfeit fashion—little black numbers, handbags, fake designer sneakers, DVDs, car parts, alcohol, and tobacco.
Recent research converts the anecdotal into the factual for the first time as undercover journalists and researchers have followed the murderous and lucrative trail of the criminal gangs right to the streets of Europe—Paris, Barcelona, and other major cities—to the markets and curbsides where feckless buyers of fake goods hand over their cash.
They, for their part, have no idea—or simply don’t care—that their purchases are putting weapons in the hands of the jihadists who will then turn them on innocent consumers in those same cities where a shopping spree becomes a murderous spree.
https://losspreventionmedia.com/does-counterfeit-fashion-fund-terrorism/
Lear MoreP1-M smuggled, fake cigarettes seized in GenSan
GENERAL SANTOS CITY -Joint operatives recovered close to PHP1-million worth of smuggled and counterfeit cigarettes in a series of operations in two public markets and a warehouse here Thursday.
Armed with 12 search warrants, elements of the city police and the Bureau of Customs (BOC) swooped in on several stalls before noon at the city’s main and Lagao public markets and a warehouse along Cagampang St.
The warrants, which were issued by Regional Trial Court Branch 35 Judge Oscar Noel, were for violation of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act and the Intellectual Property Code.
Senior Supt. Raul Supiter, city police director, said the operations resulted in the recovery of at least 108 boxes of smuggled and fake cigarettes.
At the public markets, he said they found several stalls selling various brands of cigarettes that did not have government-issued tax stamps.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1047974
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Mumbai Crime: Smuggled Goods Worth Rs 2.73 Crore Seized By DRI
Acting on a source based information, officials of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) officials found “Saffron”, “Cigarettes” and “Gold” among other items in the consignments imported through Airport Parcel Sorting Office (APSO), located near the domestic airport at Vile Parle on Wednesday.
Officials said that these consignments were declared to contain “Old Cloth” and “Food Supplements”. Detailed examination of these consignments resulted in the seizure of 145 Kgs of “Saffron”, nearly 1 lakh cigarettes of ‘Gudang Garam’ brand, computer processor chips, medicines and “Gold – 1.86 Kgs” collectively valued at Rs 2.73 crore. A case has been registered under the Customs Act, 1962 and further investigations are in progress.
In a similar incident, the Pune regional unit of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), 86 gold biscuits and gold in other forms, totally weighing 10.175 KG worth Rs 3.09 crores, were recovered from the lavatory at the Pune international airport on Thursday. On the basis of specific information, the DRI officials with the assistance of officers of Pune customs commissionerate made the recovery.
Lear MoreBeer, liquor and cigarettes worth millions seized in Sarawak’s biggest smuggling bust
SIBU: Millions of ringgit worth of beer, liquor and cigarettes have been seized in Sarawak’s biggest anti-smuggling bust.
45 containers of contraband were seized from a barge which had berthed at a private jetty here by the Royal Malaysian Customs Department (JKDM). 400 boxes of hard liquor were also seized from a warehouse near the jetty.
Seven crew members of the barge, aged between 20 to 45, were detained. A local was also picked up from the warehouse. They will all assist investigations into the case.
Customs director-general Datuk Seri Subromaniam Tholasy said the seizure was made during an operation at 11.30am on Sept 5 on a barge, which had berthed at the jetty in Jalan Salim-Stabau here.
The raid on the barge yielded 45 containers. 44 of them contained assorted brands of beer worth RM2.42mil (with taxes of RM11.27mil payable), he detailed at a press conference on Friday (Sept 14).
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Man arrested for allegedly smuggling counterfeit goods worth R17m
Rustenburg – A 42-year-old man was arrested at Kopfontein border post between South Africa and Botswana for allegedly smuggling R17 million worth of counterfeit goods into the country, North West police said on Thursday. Police spokesperson Captain Sam Tselanyane said the man was arrested on Tuesday.
“It is alleged that on Tuesday, 11 September, at about 22:15, a truck arrived at the border’s searching point.
“According to information received, the member who was on duty went to notify customs officials about the truck. The member realised when he returned that the truck driver drove off without permission and a chase ensued. The truck was stopped about two kilometres from the border and redirected back to the border for further verification of goods that were in transit,” he said.
Two trailers were fully loaded with 200 boxes of counterfeit footwear with an estimated value of R17 million.
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