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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LVMH, Google unite against fake online luxury goods
PARIS: French luxury products group LVMH and Internet search engine Google have agreed to work together to fight the sale of counterfeit goods online, the two firms said on Thursday.
The agreement ends nearly 10 years of litigation over complaints by LVMH – owner of top luxury labels in everything from champagne to luggage – that the Google Adwords key words service helped counterfeiters sell their products on the back of LVMH brands.
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Philippines wages war on crooked customs agents
MANILA, September 3, 2014 (AFP) – Standing near mountains of goods destined to be smuggled through the Philippines’ biggest port, the nation’s customs chief admits that being on the frontline of the president’s war on graft is overwhelming.”I’ve never seen anything like it,” John Sevilla said, commenting on a pervasive culture of bribery, extortion and stealing at a government agency that collects revenues equivalent to 20 percent of the nation’s budget.”There’s no secret about the fact that this is not an agency which inspires a lot of trust and confidence among our people.”But Sevilla, a former Goldman Sachs executive, has bold plans for systemic change that are showing early signs of success.
http://www.khmertimeskh.com/news/4144/philippines-wages-war-on-crooked-customs-agents/
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Brief: UK shopkeeper jailed for selling fake washing powder
Washing powderA UK man has been sent to prison for 18 months after being found guilty of selling counterfeit washing powder, shampoo and conditioner from his shop in Leyton, London.Ali Riza Bozdag was also ordered to pay £5,000-worth of legal costs and also faces a Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) confiscation order which will be decided at a later date, reports the East London and West Essex Guardian.Bozdag’s activities were discovered after customs intercepted 2,640 8kg boxes of fake washing powder en route to his business premises.
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European operation smashes fake medicines ring
Eurojust and Europol logosPolice from several European countries have seized millions of fake medicines, mainly erectile dysfunction drugs, worth an estimated €10m.The one-day operation – spearheaded by Europol and EU judicial unit Eurojust and involving police forces from Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, France, Hungary, Slovakia, Spain and the UK – also resulted in 12 arrests and the seizure of more than €7.5m in cash, bank accounts and assets such as cars.
The raids marked the culmination of an investigation first started back in 2012 that targeted a particular organised crime network deeply involved in the fake medicines trade in Europe. The counterfeit medicines targeted by the operation were imported into the EU from Asia and contain “incorrect dosages and ingredients which pose a serious health hazard”.
Lear MoreThree men from Loughton and east London arrested after police uncover suspected smuggling plot
Three men have been arrested after a raid led to the discovery of a suspected tobacco smuggling plot worth an estimated £2.4 million.The suspects, two from Loughton and one from Forest Gate, all in their late 40s, were arrested on suspicion of tobacco smuggling under the Customs and Management Act 1979.HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) officers, Essex Police and the National Crime Agency seized 8.5 million cigarettes and 30kg of shisha tobacco as it was unloaded from a container at farmland in Abridge on August 20.
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