Reynolds American-Sponsored Website Looks at ‘New Tobacco Road’
Site designed to raise awareness of black-market cigarette trade
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Cigarette smuggling costs states an estimated $5.5 billion annually. Much of that traffic takes place on the East Coast along Interstate 95, as cigarettes from lower-tax states are being smuggled to states with higher taxes in the Northeast. A new website, sponsored by RAI Services Co., a subsidiary of Reynolds American Inc., calls the I-95 corridor “The New Tobacco Road.”
The website draws attention to the problem to encourage states to pass stiffer penalties for smuggling and devote more resources to enforcement.
The website, www.thenewtobaccoroad.com, shows how I-95 has become a key transit route for cigarette smuggling from southern states to the Northeast. The illegal profits that are being derived from these operations benefit an organized-crime infrastructure already experienced in transporting illegal drugs and other contraband, and fostering violent crime up and down the I-95 corridor.
Reynolds American launches site, teams with ex-fed to raise awareness on cigarette trafficking
RICHMOND, Virginia — Reynolds American Inc. is inviting lawmakers, law enforcement officials and others to take a trip along “the New Tobacco Road,” where organized criminals are garnering huge profits for smuggling cigarettes and selling them on the black market with a quick drive along the East Coast’s major interstate.
The owner of the nation’s second-biggest tobacco company launched a website Thursday aimed at raising awareness of cigarette trafficking, which is estimated to cost states $5.5 billion annually in lost tax revenue. Reynolds said it hopes the site with studies and news reports will help illustrate that cigarette smuggling isn’t a victimless crime and provide governments with information about stiffening penalties and increasing enforcement.
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Europe minister calls on Spain to operate reasonable regime at frontier
Minister for Europe David Lidington says he is impressed by the ‘significant steps’ taken by the Gibraltar government to tackle tobacco smuggling. Having said that he says that smuggling does not justify the ‘disproportionate regime’ at the Spanish border, and calls on Spain to operate a reasonable regime and work in partnership wih Gibraltar on such matters. This is Mr Lidington’s statement in full: “I am impressed by the significant steps taken by Gibraltar to tackle tobacco smuggling. A commitment to cut the number of cigarettes allowed at the border by 90% will be just one of a package of tough measures taken and I am confident that we will see a significant impact on levels of smuggling as a result.
http://www.panorama.gi/localnews/headlines.php?action=view_article&article=11922&offset=0
Lear MoreTwo N.Y. men charged with cigarette smuggling
Two men were charged with smuggling cigarettes after they were stopped with thousands of packs on Interstate 95, police reported.
About 5:09 p.m. Saturday, Maryland State Police trooper Duane Freeman pulled a 2013 Kia Optima over for exceeding the speed limit on the northbound interstate near mile marker 103.4, according to a state of probable cause. After conducting the stop, a K-9 scan of the car was requested and it resulted in a positive alert for controlled dangerous substances, police reported.
http://www.cecildaily.com/news/local_news/article_79dc5824-b0c8-5e1a-8bed-d75cc1b0024e.html
Lear MoreChina’s Shanzhai Companies Moving On From Counterfeit Imitation To Collaborative Innovation
Shanzhai used to refer to knock-off retail, and later end-consumer electronics, such as mobile phones of major brands like Nokia, Motorola and Ericson, often specifically designed for non-Western markets in China, South East Asia, South America, the Middle East and Africa. The ecosystem grew rapidly and by 2010, it was producing 200 million phones annually and was responsible for a quarter of the global mobile phone market. Since then, the shanzhai ecology has moved beyond cloning and enabled a wealth of iterative innovations including dual-SIM for frequent travelers to avoid roaming charges, seven-speaker phones for workers to listen to music at construction sites, and custom-designed phones for migrant populations unable to afford the latest smartphone.
http://world.einnews.com/article/206793150/PJtIWL90h4qwpUFu?n=1&code=AgcfkaVftQFfz4kH
Lear MoreAlibaba’s wealth of counterfeit products a concern to some potential IPO investors
HONG KONG — At first glance, the Monster Tron T1 headphones sold on Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba’s Taobao site are a tempting offer for audiophiles looking for state-of-the-art hi-fi equipment.
But sellers omit one key detail: Monster never produced this model.
“There should be none in existence but our prototypes,” said Dave Tognotti, general manager of the Brisbane company best known for its audio-visual cables. He said Monster went so far as to announce a launch date but the design proved too complex to build to the company’s quality specifications, so it was abandoned.
“You can understand our surprise when we started to see counterfeit versions of this product appearing on websites like Alibaba.com, Aliexpress.com, 1688.com and Taobao.com,” he said. All four sites are part of Alibaba Group. Tognotti said that 99.5 percent of purported Monster products sold on Alibaba sites are fakes, based on thousands of listings the company’s investigators have examined over the years.
http://world.einnews.com/article/206686075/mKk4CdnjkQBGs8f_?n=1&code=AgcfkaVftQFfz4kH
Lear MoreAssam sees rise in economic offences
GUWAHATI: White collar crimes and economic offences are on the rise in the state. In 2013, the number of cases related to cheating and economic offences was more than 3,500.
These offences were mostly fraud cases by dubious non-banking financial companies, fake recruitment agencies and real estate dealers, forging of signature, certificates and stamp papers. The state police and other government agencies seem to have completely failed to control the menace that has led to unchecked flow of fake currencies in the state. According to police records, at least 2,321 cases of cheating, 1,432 criminal breach of trust (CBT) and 85 counterfeiting cases were registered last year.
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Rising tobacco taxes ‘will encourage cigarette smuggling’, say Qld experts
Australia is poised to become a more lucrative market for illicit tobacco traders, experts say. A team of researchers from Queensland says smuggling is a comparatively low-risk criminal activity, and that the regular price hikes for legal cigarettes will boost the demand for black market tobacco in Australia. Last August, the Labor government set in motion a series of tobacco tax increases of 12.5 per cent each year for four years, commencing December 2013.
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$30 Million In Counterfeit Goods Seized In Lawrence Flea Market Raid
BOSTON (AP) — A recent flea market raid racked up more than $30 million in knock-off apparel and electronics, making it the largest counterfeit bust in Massachusetts, authorities said.
Authorities confiscated enough fake designer purses, clothing and pirated DVDs and CDs from two flea markets on May 10 to fill three tractor trailers, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said Thursday.
Local businesses told police in January that illegal items were being sold at the flea markets, which have been open for years, said Lawrence interim Police Chief James Fitzpatrick.
“We didn’t expect it to be this wide-ranging,” he said. “We expected a couple dozen vendors, but I think they were ramping up for Mother’s Day.”
http://world.einnews.com/article/206236189/CscDWmkh6RkaTULh?n=1&code=AgcfkaVftQFfz4kH
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Prison guard denies smuggling charge
A long-serving Corrections officer has denied smuggling tobacco into Christchurch Men’s Prison. Raymond Heperi Harris, 60, resigned from his job in May last year after he was confronted with allegations he was supplying contraband to prisoners in exchange for cash. Corrections investigated and lodged a complaint with police. Harris was eventually charged with taking tobacco into the prison with the intention of giving it to inmates. The alleged offence is a breach of the Corrections Act. If found guilty Harris could be jailed for up to 3 months and fined $5000. This morning, a Christchurch District Court spokeswoman said Harris had plead not guilty to the charge.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/10068094/Prison-guard-denies-smuggling-charge
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