Venezuela seals Colombian border to fight smuggling
Venezuela closed its border with Colombia Monday night to fight the smuggling of cut-rate gasoline and other products that has caused huge losses for the government and exacerbated severe shortages. Oil-rich Venezuela has the world’s cheapest gas, as well as price controls that keep goods like rice and toilet paper up to 10 times cheaper than in Colombia. But Venezuela has also been hit by crippling shortages of basic supplies and rampant inflation, even as the outward flood of local products has become a defining feature of the regional economy. To combat the problem, the Venezuelan government has deployed 17,000 troops to seal the 2,200-kilometer (1,400-mile) border off every night from 10:00 pm to 5:00 am.
http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/Venezuela-seals-Colombian-border-to-fight-smuggling
Lear MoreVenezuela seals border with Colombia to fight smuggling
San Cristobal: Venezuela closed its border with Colombia Monday night to crack down on smuggling of cut-rate gasoline and other products and stanch huge losses for the Caracas government. A total of 17,000 troops have been posted along the frontier to prevent Venezuelan gas and other products kept cheap thanks to government price controls from being sneaked across the border into Colombia. The closing along 2,200 kilometers (1,400 miles) of border applies only at night. It will last 30 days during a preliminary period and then the effect of the measure will be assessed. The lure for smugglers is acute: gas is so cheap in Venezuela it costs less to fill up your tank than it does to buy a bottle of water.
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Nikon Warns About The Dangers of Counterfeit Batteries
Counterfeit batteries are a real issue to manufacturers, with anonymous third parties passing them off as the real thing. Completely separate from 3rd party alternatives, someone may get saddled with a fake thinking they’re buying a genuine article, only to find sub-par performance (or worse, if it causes damage). But would you be able to tell if your battery is the real deal or not? Nikon’s website has examples of 10 of the company’s batteries, and the various way’s they’re mimicked. The problem is, no one sets out to buy a counterfeit battery. If you’re buying a 3rd party battery, then that’s your choice (though many manufacturers aren’t big fans of that, either). But if you end up with a fake Nikon battery, it’s because you’re attempting to buy a real one, and end up with a forgery. And the only way to tell is to compare it to the real deal. According to Canon, 18% of consumers unwittingly bought forgeries last year.
http://www.popphoto.com/gear/2014/08/nikon-warns-about-dangers-counterfeit-batteries
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EU calls for crackdown on tobacco smuggling between Spain and Gibraltar
The EU is calling on Spain and Gibraltar to crack down on tobacco smuggling across the border between the two countries, citing concerns about the involvement of organised crime. Wrapping up a one-year investigation, the European Anti-Fraud Office (Olaf) said in a statement that it had “raised a number of concerns” to UK and Spanish officials regarding its investigation into the increase of cigarette smuggling across the frontier. While the report was not made public, Olaf noted “a significant increase in the size of the Gibraltar market for cigarettes over the past four years” and that “the concerns include indications of the involvement of organised crime”.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/aug/11/eu-crackdown-tobacco-smuggling-spain-gibraltar
Lear MoreTobacco Smuggling in Greece: an Overview
Over the past decade, contraband tobacco sales and facilitation of transnational tobacco smuggling in Greece have flourished, due to a combination of factors. Although not considered as a particularly ‘sexy’ sector of organized crime, compared to narcotics or arms dealing, tobacco smuggling still represents a threat to state security, in that it empowers organized crime rings engaged in multi-level activities, and drains the state coffers of considerable tax revenue. The substantial increase in taxation which made one of Greeks’ favorite pastime, smoking, an expensive hobby is the primary factor behind the increase of a contraband market.
Over the past decade, contraband tobacco sales and facilitation of transnational tobacco smuggling in Greece have flourished, due to a combination of factors. Although not considered as a particularly ‘sexy’ sector of organized crime, compared to narcotics or arms dealing, tobacco smuggling still represents a threat to state security, in that it empowers organized crime rings engaged in multi-level activities, and drains the state coffers of considerable tax revenue. The substantial increase in taxation which made one of Greeks’ favorite pastime, smoking, an expensive hobby is the primary factor behind the increase of a contraband market.
http://www.balkanalysis.com/greece/2014/08/11/tobacco-smuggling-in-greece-an-overview/
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Combating counterfeiters could soon be as easy as breathing
Researchers at the University of Michigan have developed an iridescent material that reveals hidden words or images in the right setting. What exactly causes the message to show? A single breath. That’s right, breathing on the plastic sheets makes whatever has been inscribed on it visible — thanks to a little instant humidity — but otherwise hidden from view. Images are created using a custom ink-jet printer to output a water-repellant coating in the desired shape. When breathed on, water condenses to show the image — similar to the manner in which a peacock’s feathers lose their glimmer when they’re wet.
http://www.engadget.com/2014/08/08/counterfeit-detection-by-breathing/
Lear MoreRaising federal cigarettes taxes won’t end smuggling between states
The Aug. 3 editorial “Closing a loophole” had its heart in the right place but missed the boat on suggesting implementable policy. There’s a large cigarette-smuggling problem between low-tax states such as Virginia, where the commonwealth levies a 30-cent-per-pack tax, and New York City ($5.85/pack). But I can’t understand why this warrants an increase in the federal cigarette tax rate.
Lear MoreUPDATE 1-Former wine collector gets 10 years in prison for counterfeiting
An Indonesian man, once considered one of the world’s top wine collectors but who U.S. prosecutors later called a “kingpin of counterfeit” for selling millions of dollars of fake French wine to the wealthy, was sentenced to 10 years in jail in Manhattan federal court on Thursday. Rudy Kurniawan used his refined palate and luxurious lifestyle to hoodwink some of the world’s most discriminating oenophiles with his “bold, grandiose, unscrupulous, but destined-to-fail con,” U.S. District Judge Richard Berman said in imposing the sentence, along with $28.4 million in restitution to compensate seven unsuspecting buyers. The sentence would serve as a deterrent to other counterfeiters, the judge said. “The public at large needs to know that our food and drink are safe and can trust what’s on the label,” Berman said, “and not some potentially unsafe, homemade witch’s brew.”
http://in.reuters.com/article/2014/08/07/usa-crime-wine-idINL2N0QD1WJ20140807
Lear MoreMother-of-two made £400,000 selling fake Mulberry bags at ‘handbag parties’ before spending cash on private school fees and holidays
A woman who made more than £400,000 selling fake designer handbags spent the money on school fees for her children and luxury goods for herself. Fiona Taylor, 44, of Newton on Ouse, North Yorkshire, organised ‘handbag parties’ where she sold counterfeit bags for hundreds of pounds each, telling buyers they were the real thing. The mother of two laundered cheques through her son’s bank account and spent the money on luxury goods, private school fees, holidays and a new car, a court heard.
Lear MoreReduction in Piracy Can Create More Jobs
BANGALORE: Taking advantage of lax laws governing piracy and smuggling, many people who deal in counterfeit items manage to continue their business after paying fines, said P C Jha, former chairman of Central Board of Excise and Customs and now a member of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry. Speaking at a seminar on ‘Curbing Counterfeiting and Smuggling’ organised by FICCI, Jha said a 10 per cent reduction in piracy in the IT sector would lead to the creation of 1 lakh jobs, according to estimates. “The laws provide for a two year-jail term or a maximum of `2 lakh fine. When a person makes crores from piracy, `2 lakh is peanuts. Also cases go on for ten years or so. The laws are not strict enough,” he said.
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