Author: adminficci

75,000 counterfeit sunglasses seized at Mumbai port

At least 75,000 counterfeit sunglasses of top brands were seized by the Customs department at the city port terminal. The investigating officials said that the seized sunglasses are counterfeits of various brands including Ray Ban, Prada, and Lacoste. The seized consignment was part of a container which arrived from China last week. The officials said that the seizure was made based on specific inputs. “If sold in the open market as originals, the estimated worth of the consignment was around Rs 25 crore,” the official said.

The sources said that of the total 75,000 pieces , over 73,000 fake sunglasses carried the logo of Ray Ban company. The consignment was imported by a company called Genius Trading Company.

http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report-75000-counterfeit-sunglasses-seized-at-mumbai-port-2077580

WHITEPAPER – Anti-Counterfeiting Measures: RFID is The New Weapon in the Fight Against Counterfeiting

According to recent estimates from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), counterfeit goods may cost the economy up to $250 billion a year (1). This is a global epidemic to be sure, with several millions of these products being shipped to the United States every year.

Often when we think of counterfeit items, consumer goods such as high-end jewelry or handbags come to mind. Not only does this cost retailers billions of dollars each year, but we as consumers are also at risk. Imagine lacing up your brand new Air Jordan’s before a game only to realize that you paid the top-dollar for knockoffs worth only a fraction of their cost to you.  Frustrating to say the least.  Maddening if you think about it long enough.  How about life-threatening?  Probably a bridge too far for a pair of sneakers, but counterfeiting effects industries that can have a direct impact on our health and safety, as well.

In this paper, we’ll highlight some of the major counterfeiting problem areas, particularly in the healthcare and medical industries, and discuss how RFID is gaining popularity as a top anti-counterfeiting measure.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents seized nearly $80 million in counterfeit pharmaceuticals and personal care products last year (2). In this case, counterfeiting can have life-threatening consequences especially in developing countries that lack the regulatory and policing resources of the United States.  For instance, The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that 200,000 people die each year due to ineffective and substandard malaria drugs that don’t clear a patient’s system of the active parasite.

Wealthy countries are also at risk. Although, many counterfeited drugs in North America can be categorized as “lifestyle” drugs such as Viagra, rather than life-saving drugs, some claim that the legitimate supply chain has been compromised. Roger Bate, a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute and expert on counterfeit prescription drugs says “You could go into a CVS or a Walgreens to fill your prescription for whatever it may be—it could be for a heart medication, a cancer drug, an antibiotic—and you could be killed by that medicine.”

https://www.jadaktech.com/anti-counterfeiting-measures-rfid-is-the-new-weapon-in-the-fight-against-counterfeiting/

Cigarettes smuggling ‘the new cocaine trade’; ‘paltry ‘ fines blamed

The sale of illegal cigarettes has been labelled “the new cocaine” trade in Ireland. That’s the conclusion of a new report that’s been submitted to a committee investigating cross-Border smuggling. It warns that laws in the area aren’t being enforced rigorously enough, and almost 1 in 4 cigarettes smoked here have been smuggled in. Benny Gilsenan from Retailers Against Smuggling agreed criminals were not being put off by the consequences of getting caught. “According to the European policing agencies, Ireland is deemed to be a very soft target because of the penalties dished out to those when they’re caught,” he said. “The fines are only paltry – €2,500 is something they’ll make in a day.”

http://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/ireland/cigarettes-smuggling-the-new-cocaine-trade-paltry-fines-blamed-688367.html

Illegal tobacco seized during operation in Glasgow

Twelve premises were targeted and 16,500 cigarettes, as well as 3.5kg of hand rolling tobacco were discovered. Officers visited shops, pubs and markets and found 10,000 illegal cigarettes under a floor board at one premises. A campaign aimed at tackling the illicit tobacco trade was launched by crime-fighting charity Crimestoppers. Authorities believe educating smokers is key to cracking down on illicit tobacco. Crimestoppers bosses said many people may not be fully aware of the links between illegal cigarettes and serious and organised crime gangs.

http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/news/13501715.Illegal_tobacco_seized_during_operation_in_Glasgow/

Authorities fume: 25% of cigarettes smuggled into Republic

Almost one of four cigarettes smoked in Ireland has been smuggled in as part of an illegal trade that is costing the exchequer some €250 million a year, according to a former lead investigator for the Criminal Assets Bureau (Cab).In a report submitted to Senator Paul Coghlan, the chair of a British-Irish parliamentary committee investigating cross-Border smuggling, the investigator says cigarettes have become the new cocaine trade but without the risk.The report says the law is not being enforced rigorously enough and the smugglers are being allowed to operate with very little chance of detection on both sides of the Border.

http://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/authorities-fume-25-of-cigarettes-smuggled-into-republic-1.2297655

Your Almond Milk is Probably (Definitely) Fake

We all know that almond milk contains water, but did you have any idea that there’s only 2 percent almonds in an entire jug of the nutty stuff? A recent class action suit against Blue Diamond Growers claims that the brand is falsely advertising the contents in Almond Breeze, its dairy-free milk.  While Blue Diamond doesn’t list what percentage of the almond milk is made from almonds in the United States, the U.K. Almond Breeze website reveals that it’s just 2 percent. So what exactly is in the bottle? The plaintiffs, Tracy Albert and Dimitrios Malaxianis, argue that it’s mostly water, sugar, carrageenan (a polysaccharide used for thickening), and sunflower lecithin (an emulsifier).  The lawsuit was filed in New York on July 14, and though it doesn’t specify what percentage of almonds would be deemed acceptable for purchase, it does state that an extensive review of almond milk recipes require “one part almonds to three or four parts water, amounting to 25 to 33 percent almonds.”

http://www.delish.com/food-news/a43257/almond-milk-mislabeled-false-advertising/

Consett shop owner jailed after housing illicit tobacco and booze worth nearly £1m

A shop owner who evaded a duty bill worth nearly £1m when he was caught with illicit cigarettes and booze is today behind bars. Jaafar Mousa Mohammad Jaafar used an industrial estate to house the massive haul of tobacco and alcohol. The stash included 3,254 litres of spirits, 6,409 litres of wine, 8,784 litres of beer, nearly three tonnes of tobacco and more than £1.5m cigarettes worth £943,623 in unpaid duty and VAT .The unit on Morgan Lonprell Yard, on Clockmill Road, in Dunston, Gateshead, was equipped for someone to live in with a kitchen, bedroom and bathroom. And HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) said the set-up allowed the 64-year-old to act as a “round-the-clock caretaker” and distributor of the illicit goods. Jailing Jaafar for two years four months, Recorder Ian Harris said he was trusted and people relied on him in the “organised fraud”.

http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/consett-shop-owner-jailed-after-9724377