NFA grilled on permit issued to farmers’ coop linked to rice smuggling
Officials of the National Food Authority (NFA) were grilled at a Senate hearing on Monday over the decision to issue an import permit to a farmers’ cooperative allegedly linked to rice smuggling.
Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto questioned why the San Carlos Multi-Purpose Cooperative (SACAMUCO) was given an import permit by even after the Bureau of Customs tagged it as one of the consignees involved in illegal rice trade. “Sa madaling salita, hindi niyo ginagawa ang trabaho niyo… Ang lumalabas dito, parang napapalusutan ang NFA,” Recto told NFA officials present at the hearing.
Lear MoreCoalition Against Counterfeiting and Piracy Urge DHS to Continue IP Enforcement Programs
Keeping our citizens and nation safe is one of the core functions of the federal government, and we welcome the appointment of Secretary Jeh Johnson to lead the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Sec. Johnson faces a challenging array of issues that demand his full attention, and we look forward to working with the Secretary and his department in support of their efforts. One area in which the Department has excelled in recent years is the ongoing enforcement program administered by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the National IPR Center: Operation in Our Sites (OiOS). This effort strives to protect consumers and industries from the very real threats posed by online piracy and the sale of counterfeit goods. Websites that traffic illicit and counterfeit drugs, consumer goods, electronics and footwear, and facilitate the online pirating of a wide array of copyrighted materials threaten the 40 million IP-intensive jobs our economy has come to rely on. Furthermore, the illicit sites take advantage of consumers, exposing them to identity theft or financial fraud in addition to pushing sometimes deceptively dangerous goods, such as fake medicines and consumer products.
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LoC Trade: 19 persons facing smuggling charges
Jammu, Feb 22: At least 19 persons have been booked for illegally smuggling contrabands from across the LoC using the trade route started between the divided parts of Kashmir in 2005. Police has registered six cases in this regard, the government told the Legislative Assembly on Thursday.
In his written response to a question by BJPs Chaman Lal Gupta the Government said three cases were registered in 2012 and two more cases have been registered in the first two months of this year. “Four cases are under investigation and police has presented challan in two cases,” the reply said. Giving break up the reply said in 2009 five person were booked for carrying out subervise activities like transaction of hawala money and Rs 7,85,000 were recovered from their possession.
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Fake champagne, whiskey and food seized
Illicit oil, vinegar, honey and champagne have been seized in a huge clampdown on counterfeit and substandard food and beverages by enforcement agencies. All told, more than 1,200 tonnes of fake or substandard food and nearly 430,000 litres of counterfeit drinks were uncovered in the joint Interpol-Europol operation, which took place across 33 countries in the Americas, Asia and Europe. The Opson III operation – which mirrors the Pangea operations that have taken the fight to counterfeiters of medicines – led to the arrests of 96 people and disrupted the activities of the organised crime syndicates behind the illicit trade. More than 131,000 litres of oil and vinegar, 80,000 biscuits and chocolate bars, 20 tons of spices and condiments, 186 tons of cereals, 45 tons of dairy products and 42 litres of honey were seized in the operation, which was supported by the EC’s Directorate General for Health and Consumers.
http://www.securingindustry.com/food-and-beverage/fake-champagne-whiskey-and-food-seized/s104/a1969/
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Fake Flappy Bird apps a security risk
Scammers are cashing in on the demand for the now-defunct Flappy Bird app, conning unsuspecting consumers out of money and personal information. The addictive game became so popular – with more than 50m downloads – that it was reportedly making around $50,000 a day for its Vietnamese developer Dong Nguyen and after deciding to withdraw it from online stores and turn to his “simple life”, criminals rushed in to fill the vacuum. Malicious, Trojanized copies of the game have appeared both on the established online outlets such as Google’s Play store but also through third-party app stores, according to malware protection firm Trend Micro.
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Amount of cigarettes smuggled from Russia to Estonia falls by over 5 times in 2013
In 2013, an average of 15.21 cigarettes were brought from Russia illegally to Estonia per person arriving from Russia to Estonia, which is 5.5 times less than in 2012, when the average was 84.47, as the state targeted law violators caught with small amounts of cigarettes at the border, LETA/Public Broadcasting. Over 2.4 million people entered from Russia to Estonia via three highway customs checkpoints, last year bringing an estimated 37 million illegal cigarettes, i.e. cigarettes with Russian tax labels that exceeded the allowed limit, to Estonia. Tax and Customs Board custom regulations department head Urmas Koidu said that in addition there are cigarettes imported in allowed limits, a large part of which are unfortunately sold too. “The fall has come primarily from the fact that starting the beginning of last year, violators were separately targeted, who were caught with small amounts of illegal cigarettes. For example, starting the beginning of 2013, no one has the right to just give up illegal cigarettes and proceedings are initiated regarding all violators, which in most cases results also in a fine,” explained Koidu.
http://www.baltic-course.com/eng/transport/?doc=87973
Lear MoreCustoms authorities fight cigarette smuggling
Smuggling of cigarettes through the central sector of Moldovan – Ukrainian border was the most serious risks to border security on the Ukrainian-Moldovan border in 2013. To tackle this risk, representatives from customs and law enforcement agencies of Moldova and Ukraine got together at EUBAM headquarters for a Task Force Tobacco meeting. The aim of the meeting was to plan cooperative measures in fighting and preventing the illegal activity in the area of tobacco product smuggling. The participants discussed proposals concerning operational aspects of counteracting cigarettes smuggling in the region. EUBAM used the opportunity to present to the Moldovan and Ukrainian partners the EU multi-level approach. The Mission prepared the ground for further cooperation of Moldovan and Ukrainian colleagues with their international partners. This time the Ukrainian and Moldovan customs officers were joined by their EU colleagues from European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) and HM Revenue and Customs (UK).
Lear MoreTop States for Cigarette Smuggling
A very large number of cigarettes sold in the United States are smuggled in and out of states, presumably to avoid taxes on the product. People apparently are willing to break the law to avoid these taxes. In several states, the smuggling of cigarettes has become an epidemic, biting into a major source of revenue. In five states, smuggled cigarettes are a third above those sold legally.
According to researchers at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, based on 2012 figures: The top smuggling rates in the nation are New York (56.9 percent); Arizona (51.5 percent); New Mexico (48.1 percent); Washington state (47.8 percent); and Wisconsin (35 percent). At the other end of the spectrum: The top five out-bound smuggling states are New Hampshire (25 percent); Wyoming (22.3 percent); Idaho (21.3 percent); and Delaware (20.9 percent). This means that for every 100 cigarettes legally consumed in New Hampshire, 25 were smuggled to neighboring states, such as Massachusetts.
http://247wallst.com/economy/2014/02/18/top-states-for-cigarette-smuggling/
Lear MoreAgri smuggling $10-B trade – study
MANILA, Philippines – In the 1980s, smuggling of agricultural commodities had evolved into a big-time illegal trade, with the value of such products estimated at $6 billion a year. As the volume of imported agricultural commodities increased in the 1990s, the magnitude of technical smuggling in the sector correspondingly expanded. By 2008, the value of smuggled agricultural items had ballooned to more than $10 billion annually. These lucrative activities have persisted to this day, indicating that government efforts to curb the illegal entry of such products have been ineffective. Internationally traded and smuggled into the country are milled rice, refined sugar, beef, onion, pork, chicken, ginger, carrots and turnips, according to a recent study titled “An Assessment of Smuggling of Selected Agricultural Commodities in the Philippines.”
http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2014/02/16/1290917/agri-smuggling-10-b-trade-study
Lear MoreFifth person charged in plot to smuggle narwhal whale tusks into US, says Department of Justice
BANGOR, Maine — The U.S. Department of Justice announced Friday that a fifth person had been charged in connection with a conspiracy to smuggle narwhal whale tusks into the U.S. from Canada. Eddie Thomas Dunn, 59, of Eads, Tenn., waived indictment and pleaded guilty in December 2011 to charges in U.S. District Court in Anchorage, Alaska, but the case was sealed until last month. Dunn, who is to be sentenced in March, has been free on bail for more than two years. Dunn pleaded guilty to one count each of conspiracy to illegally sell wildlife and illegally selling wildlife. By pleading guilty, Dunn admitted that he and an unnamed co-conspirator paid Logan $126,000 for 135 tusks and resold them for $1.11 million in Alaska, Washington state, Ohio, Florida and Tennessee.
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