Counterfeit cell phone cases, perfumes look real enough to fool
As the holiday shopping season kicks off, federal agents are warning consumers about counterfeit products showing up on store shelves and websites. The items – which can include pricey headphones, cell phone cases, DVDs and perfumes – may look real from the outside, with elaborate boxes designed to dupe the consumer. But inside, the items are fake. Authorities say tip-offs to spotting a fake include misspelled words on the box, missing packaging and – often one of the biggest keys – the price. “If the price is too good to be true it probably is and you’re probably not buying a real product,” said Carissa Cutrell, public affairs officer for Homeland Security Investigations in Tampa. Counterfeit Beats headphones, OtterBox cell phone cases and Chloe perfume are among the items agents seized in the Tampa Bay area.
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Government losing millions due to foreign cigarettes
The New Zealand Government is losing up to $89.1 million per annum in tax revenue due to tobacco brought in to the country from overseas, ASPIRE 2025 researchers estimate. The figure is based on new research published in the New Zealand Medical Journal from a study involving the collection of discarded cigarette packs. ASPIRE 2025 Co-Director Professor Richard Edwards commented that much of the lost revenue is likely due to duty-free imports, and as it doesn’t include cigarettes purchased duty free by arriving passengers at New Zealand airports, the figure is likely to a be a conservative estimate of lost revenue. He noted that the availability of cheap duty free tobacco products undermines the impact of tax increases and the ability to achieve the Government’s goal of a smokefree New Zealand by 2025. “Tobacco excise increases are highly effective at encouraging smokers to quit and discouraging children from starting to smoke. Duty-free tobacco imports undermine this by making cheap cigarettes available to smokers and to children who, as a result, may be more tempted to try smoking,” Professor Edwards says.
http://www.otago.ac.nz/news/
Natural News Exclusive: Amazon.com (AMZN) sells fake, counterfeit nutritional products to unsuspecting consumers
A Natural News investigation has confirmed that Amazon.com (AMZN) is functioning as a retail “front” for a rapidly-expanding list of dietary supplement counterfeiters who profit by exploiting the Amazon.com trust factor to sell fake products to unsuspecting Amazon customers. This counterfeit operation does not appear to be the intention of Amazon.com itself, which is a widely-celebrated online retailer, but rather a result of Amazon’s inability to adequately police the tens of thousands of third-party sellers who sell products through the site. Natural News, a consumer advocacy whistleblower news organization, has learned and confirmed that:
http://www.naturalnews.com/043057_amazoncom_counterfeit_products_misrepresentation_and_fraud.html#
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61 petrol pumps selling smuggled POL products demolished; Customs launches operation to comply Supreme Court orders
KARACHI: Pakistan Customs, in joint operation against smuggled oil sales at various fuel stations, on Sunday demolished 61 petrol pumps and confiscated plant and machinery besides seizing thousands of liters POL products. In a statement, MCC Preventive launched the operation on Sunday morning and demolished 61 illegal petrol pumps. The illegally constructed and installed plant / machinery were also removed and confiscated by the district administration. Thirdly, the customs authorities seized thousands of liters of smuggled POL products. The crack down launched in compliance with the directives of Supreme Court of Pakistan regarding coordinated and joint efforts against illegal movement of smuggled and contraband goods, a number of meetings were arranged by the Attorney General of Pakistan which were attended by Chairman, Federal Board of Revenue, Pakistan Rangers, Sindh, Director General Anti-Narcotics Force, Director General Pakistan Coast Guards, Director General Maritime Security Agency and Chief Secretary Sindh.
Lear More2.5 tonnes of banned tobacco products seized at Sowcarpet in Chennai
CHENNAI: The Department of Food Safety and Drug Administration seized 2.5 tonnes of banned tobacco products at Sowcarpet here on Tuesday. The seizure has exposed that the sale of gutka and pan masala products are rampant across the city despite the crackdown on it by the department. Several shops in the city continue to sell these banned products at inflated prices. 
Based on a tip-off, officials raided three private godown at Sowcarpet and found several bags of banned tobacco products. District food safety officer S Lakshmi Narayan said that the seized tobacco products from two godowns were worth of Rs 8 lakh. “We have destroyed the products in Kodungaiyur dumpyard and also served notices to them”. There has been a spurt in smuggling of chewing tobacco products from neighbouring states after the state imposed a ban on the products. Several tonnes of tobacco products were seized by the department since the state government banned the sale of gutka and pan masala in May, sources said. The large commercial establishments continue to store such banned products and selling through various retail shops at exorbitant rates. “There is a huge demand for the products in Chennai and other parts of the state. So we have decided to intensify the raids across the city to confiscate such banned products” said Lakshmi Narayan. Health experts say migrant labourers constitute the major chunk of pan masala users in Chennai and that such products are among the major cause for the increasing incidence of mouth cancer.
Big tobacco eyes Myanmar market
As the country opens up to foreign multinationals, tobacco giants are staking a claim. A smoky haze greets customers walking into any of Yangon’s tea shops as patrons light up hand-rolled cigarettes known locally as cheroots. Elsewhere in Myanmar’s main city, vendors sell cheap cigarettes smuggled from China to drivers stopped at traffic lights. The pavement is painted red with the spit of people chewing tobacco wrapped in betel leaves. Tobacco is already a problem in this impoverished Southeast Asian country where anti-tobacco legislation is weak. But as Myanmar opens its doors to the world after half a century of military rule, it faces a new threat: Large multinational cigarette companies looking for new markets. After years of isolation, many young people want to be as “cool” as their Western peers. “I wanted to imitate the people I saw in movies,” said Kyaw Zin Lin, 42, who began smoking at age 12. He got his first packet of cigarettes from his parents’ grocery shop. “It seemed cool then.” Some anti-tobacco activists say it’s not just the nation’s health that is at risk from the tobacco companies’ new push, but also the rights of some of Myanmar’s poorest people. At the heart of the problem lies a conflict of interest within the government. The health ministry is trying to implement measures to curb smoking, but the trade ministry is keen to lure millions of dollars in potential foreign investment by multi-national companies, says Bungon Rithiphakdee, director of the Southeast Asian Tobacco Control Alliance.
Lear MoreIllegal tobacco seized from home of Bodmin market trader
TRADING standards officers swooped on a Bodmin market trader’s home and seized 72 packs of illegal cigarettes and tobacco. They had been tipped off by members of the public who had spotted a number of unusual brands being sold from a stall on Sunday mornings. Unlike the tobacco pictured here, the 72 packs seized from a Bodmin market trader did not comply with UK labelling legislation
Following a brief investigation, a warrant was executed at the trader’s home in St Columb Major, leading to the seizure. None of the tobacco sold complied with UK tobacco labelling legislation. Elizabeth Kirk, senior trading standards officer with Cornwall Council, said: “With its proven links to wider criminal activity and the financial detriment that it causes to legitimate traders, Cornwall Trading Standards is dedicated to tackling the sale of illegal tobacco within Cornwall. “Cheap tobacco sold with no age verification checks in place gives our children cheap, easy access to tobacco products and undermines the quit attempts of existing smokers. Cornwall Trading Standards work in partnership with Smokefree Southwest in order to combat sales across the region.” She urged anyone with information about the sale of illegal tobacco to contact CrimeStoppers on 0800 555 111 or report it online at www.stop-illegal-tobacco.co.uk
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Shisha seizure in £60k Coventry tobacco haul
Illegal tobacco worth more than £60,000 has been seized in raids across Coventry. The city council’s trading standards team found more dodgy shisha than ever before when officers went to properties in Hillfields, Cheylesmore and Willenhall. They also discovered packs of hand rolling tobacco and cigarettes in the raids. It is believed that the items are either counterfeit, non-duty paid or not displaying the required health warnings. A total of 1,800 packs of cigarettes, 80 pouches of rolling tobacco and more than 1,000 boxes of shisha tobacco were seized – but so far no-one has been arrested. Investigations into the illegal tobacco haul are ongoing. Nigel Wooltorton, of Coventry’s Trading Standards team, said officers were determined to crackdown on the problem. He said: “The raids have resulted in the greatest single amount of illegal shisha we have seized. “We are determined to take enforcement action when needed to stamp out what can be an extremely profitable business.”
http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/coventry-news/shisha-seizure-60k-coventry-tobacco-6316997
Lear MoreNon-duty paid tobacco brands flood market
KARACHI: In the year 2012, 66.5 billion cigarettes consumed in 11 Asian countries were illicit. With 86.3 percent, the domestic illicit cigarette volumes and consumption of illicit cigarettes were highest in Pakistan whereas the Non-Domestic Illicit was 13.7 percent. This scenario resulting in Tax Revenue losses of about more than $250 million in 2012 only. These were the outcomes of the study, ‘Asia-11 Illicit Tobacco Indicator 2012’ conducted by Oxford Economics. Illicit trade manifests itself in three major and interrelated ways-smuggled, counterfeit and local tax evaded products. It is a global phenomenon, covering all continents and high and low income countries alike. Cigarettes, being highly taxed, easy to transport and possessing a lucrative risk to reward ratio are among the world’s most illegally trafficked goods. The study conducted by Oxford Economics, is the first quantitative benchmark for governments in the region to track and understand the problem. The study covered Australia, Brunei, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam and demonstrates that illegal tobacco significantly impacts developed and developing countries alike-occurring in jurisdictions with both high and low tax and price levels, as well as in those with strong reputations for law and order.
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The Growing Threat of Contraband Tobacco
In New York, a handful of federal and state officials are fighting a tough battle against illegal cigarettes.
HOGANSBURG, N.Y. – On the St. Regis Mohawk Indian reservation close to the Canadian border, Another Dam Cigarette Store offers tax-free smokes to hoards of shoppers. One of the most popular brands is Braves, produced by factory not licensed by the federal government, the Times Union reports.
A combination of local, state and federal agencies constitute a small band of law enforcement tasked with stemming the flow of illegal tobacco, but more manpower is needed. “All illicit tobacco business is growing dramatically,” said Thomas Lesnak, a retired ATF senior agent who tracked cigarette smugglers.
Contributing to the problem is that the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) has withdrawn from many cases involving tobacco. “New York is a very unique state when it comes to cigarettes,” said ATF agent Steve Dickey. “It’s a high-tax, low-enforcement state with many Native American tribes with various treaties. It’s a politically sensitive, sometimes ticking time bomb.”
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