Warning vs fake medicine
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has warned the public about a fake variant of a fruit punch-flavored antibiotic being sold in the market. In an advisory, the FDA said it had confirmed that Klaricid Clarithromycin 250mg/5ml granules for suspension in fruit punch flavor No. L7877, supposedly manufactured in Canada, is a counterfeit drug after Abbott Laboratories Philippines compared it with the registered drug.
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/679084/warning-vs-fake-medicine
Serial tobacco smuggler caught sneaking 12,600 cigarettes into Heathrow
A serial tobacco smuggler from Wembley has dodged an immediate prison sentence after being picked up by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) at Heathrow Airport. Kamal Sobhi was stopped and arrested on January 8 smuggling 12,600 cigarettes and almost 9.5kg of shisha tobacco through the airport when he arrived on a flight from Beirut, Lebanon. He was charged with tobacco smuggling under the Customs and Excise Management Act 1979 and admitted to the offence at Isleworth Crown Court on Thursday (March 12).
http://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/news/west-london-news/serial-tobacco-smuggler-caught-sneaking-8837594
Lear MoreName brand OEM factories in China make real and fake alike
Up to 80% of luxury goods sold on China’s online platforms are reportedly knockoffs, many of which come from legitimate OEM factories of the brands, reports China’s Tencent news outlet. An unnamed source told Tencent that many of the luxury goods on online overseas shopping platforms are fake. Zhou Ting, an expert in the field, said that according to a study in 2013, 80% of the luxury items sold online in China are counterfeit. Most of these items cost one-tenth to one-fourth of the real item’s tag price.
http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subclass-cnt.aspx?id=20150315000098&cid=1502
Lear MoreUndercover investigators highlight illicit tobacco trade in Gateshead
Illegal cigarettes seized as part of a raid on Tyneside could contain human faeces, rat droppings or dead flies. A team of undercover investigators uncovered “widespread” trade in illicit tobacco on a two-day visit to Gateshead. Former Scotland Yard Detective Chief Inspector Will O’Reilly led the test purchase operation on Tuesday and Wednesday across the borough. Since November 2011, Will has been conducting the research on behalf of Philip Morris International (PMI) – the global cigarette and tobacco company, which includes Marlboro among its products – to check on new counterfeits and to raise economic and health issues related to the black market.
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Israel’s Shin Bet, Tax Authority Foil Arms Smuggling Into Gaza
Customs agents working with the Shin Bet security agency have thwarted four attempts in recent months to smuggle weapons components into Gaza through the Nitzana border crossing in southern Israel, the Israeli Tax Authority said Monday.
According to a statement posted on the Tax Authority’s website, banned products of various kinds, including components needed for the production of weapons, were seized at the Israel-Egypt border crossing four times over the past few months.
India proving to be one of the top smuggling paradises on the world map.
In recent years the all-India contraband seizures have jumped dramatically hitting new heights every year. Although these seizures only provide a glimpse into this sordid world through customs or revenue intelligence, there is evidence that the flow of contraband goods into the country via strategically located coastal and border areas is increasing. Bringing in the latest in electronic gizmos, India is proving to be one of the top smuggling paradises on the world map.
At first sight, Kathari, a nondescript fishing village on the Daman coast looks no different from the other coastal villages strung out along India’s extensive coastline: a number of weather-beaten fishing boats sprawled drunkenly on the beach, tattered fishing nets pegged out to dry and a beehive cluster of thatched huts.
However, the customs launch patrolling the coastline a few weeks ago did notice one unusual difference – a homing signal being transmitted from somewhere in the village. Smelling something fishy, the customs party entered the village and traced the signal to a central building comparatively larger than the rest, obviously used as storage space for the day’s catch. Kathari’s fishermen, it transpired, had been using some pretty potent bait. Instead of the expected collection of pungent marine life, the shed was stacked with an assortment of gleaming new electronic goodies, including tape-recorders, calculators and watches. The estimated value of the haul: Rs 5.30 lakh.
Casting their net further, the customs officials discovered that the village’s outward appearance of poverty was rather deceptive. Virtually every family was in proud possession of at least one expensive imported item, ranging from a two-in-one, a Seiko watch to a Japanese umbrella. Kathari, however, is hardly unique and neither is its inconspicuous affluence. It is merely one of the hundreds of strategically-located coastal villages that have, in recent years, been generously “adopted” by smuggling syndicates as convenient conduits for the ever-escalating flow of contraband into the country.
Currently, it is possible to pick up the latest electronic gizmo, whether it is Sony’s new Walkman variant or JVC’s ultra-sophisticated video cassette recorder (VCR), within days of its rolling off the assembly line in Tokyo or Osaka, at any one of the innumerable urban outlets that have mushroomed over the past few years and put India firmly in the running for top seeding as a smugglers’ paradise.
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Consumers warned about counterfeit clothes and scam websites
The internet has a new wave of scam websites causing misery for Irish consumers selling poorly made counterfeit goods that are claimed to be real designer labels for a cheap price. Many young people are eagerly awaiting the start of the Irish debs season so this is the catalyst for the wave of scam clothing sites. The UK European Consumer Centre has released a strong statement advising consumers to be vigilant when ordering fashionable designer clothing online.
Frequently these rogue retailers use credentials that are listed in European countries to add to the professed legitimacy of their site. However, this is often a smoke screen and the businesses were not situated in that country at all. In many cases they were outside the EU completely.
http://www.finfacts.ie/irishfinancenews/article_1028149.shtml
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Fake 99p iPhone chargers ‘putting lives at risk
Britons buying dangerous counterfeit iPhone chargers for as little as 99p are risking electrocution or burns, warns London Fire Brigade, which says it is ‘only a matter of time’ before one of them causes a fatal fire. Fake iPhone chargers on sale in the UK could cause fires, electrocutions or burns and are putting lives at risk, warns London Fire Brigade.
The brigade says that the devices have caused “a number of incidents” across the capital, including one in February where one caught fire and set alight to a house in Tottenham.
Experts dismantled and tested various counterfeit chargers which are widely available in Britain in markets and online and found that they had around half as many components inside as genuine Apple chargers.
Lear MorePolice seize counterfeit goods worth £1m in North Manchester raids
Police have seized over £1 million worth of counterfeit goods – including badly-spelled designer brands.Officers raided four shops in north Manchester and found knock-offs including ‘Louis Vitton’ ‘Pacco Rabanne’, ‘Chenelle’ and ‘Jean Paul Gautier’ handbags.
Officers also recovered fake Ugg boots and sunglasses and Mulberry items.The swoops took place on Lockett Street in the Strangeways area on Wednesday.Sgt Andrew Holvey, of the North Manchester Neighbourhood policing team, said: “I would like to thank members of the community for providing us with valuable intelligence which enabled the raids. We are aware this type of crime causes a lot of harm to legitimate businesses and believe this action will be a significant hit to the people that are involved in this type of crime.
Lear More£10 million worth of fake cosmetics seized at Channel Tunnel
Border Force officers at the Channel Tunnel entrance in France have seized around 578 boxes of counterfeit cosmetic gift sets with a potential value of up to £10 million.The seizure was made in the early hours of August 28 as officers carried out checks on a Dutch-registered vehicle en route to a business park in Newcastle-under-Lyme.The Border Force team inspected the load and it soon became clear that the cosmetic sets and their packaging were of inferior quality, so the goods were seized and the investigation has been passed to Kent County Council (KCC) Trading Standards.
Paul Morgan, Director of Border Force South East and Europe said: “I would like to praise my officers for their vigilance in identifying these fakes.
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