$100,000 in counterfeit clothing seized in raid on Fruit Belt market
Police raided a Fruit Belt food store Monday, thinking they would find illegal guns. They found some weapons, but police said they also found something else – more than $100,000 in counterfeit trademark clothing. Hats, sneakers, jackets, belts and other apparel were seized along with $25,000 in cash believed to be profits from sales of the bootleg clothing. The clothing had fake labels from Air Jordan, Champion, Coach, the National Football League, National Basketball Association and Major League Baseball. There were more than 1,000 New York Yankees baseball hats alone amid the boxes of clothing filling the warehouse, police said.
Lear More
‘Counterfeit: Don’t buy into organized crime’ – UNODC launches new outreach campaign on $250 billion a year counterfeit business
A new global campaign has been launched by UNODC to raise awareness among consumers of the $250 billion a year illicit trafficking of counterfeit goods. The campaign – ‘Counterfeit: Don’t buy into organized crime’ – informs consumers that buying counterfeit goods could be funding organized criminal groups, puts consumer health and safety at risk and contributes to other ethical and environmental concerns. The campaign is centred around a new Public Service Announcement which was launched on the NASDAQ screen in New York’s Times Square and is being aired on several international television stations starting this month. The campaign urges consumers to ‘look behind’ counterfeit goods to boost understanding of the serious repercussions of this illicit trade.
Lear MoreMan Must Pay £21,000 After Smuggling 100kg Of Tobacco
A man has been ordered to pay back £21,000 after smuggling 100 kilos of tobacco into Portsmouth Ferry Port. 49 year old Paul Addlington, of Silverwood Road, Bottesford, Nottingham, concealed it in the internal panels of his Ford Transit van. He was ordered to repay the evaded excise duty within six months, or face 15 months in prison and still owe the money. Adlington, who is unemployed, was arrested by Border Force officers at the city’s continental ferry port on 8 August 2013, as he returned to the UK via Caen, France. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) took over the investigation.
Lear More
Is Your Brand Prepared to Battle the Online Counterfeiters?
As we enter 2014, retailers can hang their hats on these two pegs: consumers will continue to flock to shop in digital channels and consumers love a good deal. However, the increasing abundance of savvy online counterfeiters targeting deal seekers is creating major challenges for brands. It’s important to understand the dynamics of deals and fakes across the ecommerce ecosystem in order to prevent brand hackers from stealing your revenue and customers. Apparel and fashion brands are a prime target for counterfeiters and the digital world gives them more ways to appear legitimate that are beyond the reach of street-corner sellers. E-commerce sites hawking fake products appear professional, often featuring photography drawn from brands’ most recent advertising campaigns, and present consumers with seemingly viable choices. Counterfeiters are smart about pricing, too, tricking consumers by pricing counterfeit goods to appear as legitimate goods on sale. Counterfeit goods are often offered at 25 percent to 50 percent discounts, comparable to end-of-season or ‘blowout’ sale rates. Because these prices are plausible, bargain hunters are that much more likely to snatch up counterfeit goods thinking they’ve just found an incredible deal.
Lear More
4 arrested for cigarette smuggling
Customs officers have arrested four people and seized nearly four million illicit cigarettes worth $9.4 million, and with a duty potential of about $6.6 million. In a week-long operation, they intercepted a van in Sha Tin and found 400,000 illicit cigarettes. They then raided a storage centre in Sham Shui Po and found another 800,000 illicit cigarettes. Then they intercepted an incoming cross-boundary vehicle and found 2.7 million illicit cigarettes mixed with other goods. Three men and one woman, aged 26 to 56, were arrested.
http://www.news.gov.hk/en/categories/law_order/html/2014/01/20140111_170703.shtml
Lear MoreKan. woman’s sentencing for selling counterfeit luxury goods at Wichita store set for March 10
WICHITA, Kansas — A Wichita woman will be sentenced March 10 in federal court for selling fake luxury goods at her shop. Glenda Sue Morgan, owner of The Fabulous Store, pleaded guilty in October to one count of trafficking in goods bearing counterfeit designer labels such as Prada and Chanel. Her sentencing has been postponed until March 10. Morgan faces maximum penalties of a $2 million fine and 10 years imprisonment. But prosecutors agreed to recommend a sentence at the low end of the federal guidelines. Investigators seized 400 replica items with a retail value of $14,000 from Morgan’s shop. Those goods would have been worth $140,000 had they been genuine.
Lear More
HSI seizes nearly $2 million in counterfeit goods from Nashville
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in coordination with the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department seized thousands of counterfeit items worth a total manufacturer’s suggested retail price of more than $1.8 million from Legends Clothing Store on Bell Road Tuesday. The seized items include counterfeit designer clothing and handbags bearing the trademarks of Chanel, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Michael Kors, Nike and Ralph Lauren. Investigators also seized counterfeit National Football League, National Basketball Association and Major League Baseball sportswear. “Criminals who sell counterfeit products are economic parasites who harm legitimate businesses that pay taxes, create jobs and support our national economy,” said Special Agent in Charge of HSI New Orleans Raymond R. Parmer Jr. “Anyone who thinks counterfeiting is a victimless crime should realize the profits of these black-market sales are routinely diverted to support further criminal activity such as drug trafficking, money laundering and even potential terrorism.” Parmer oversees a five-state area of responsibility including Tennessee, Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi.
http://www.ice.gov/news/releases/1401/140109nashville.htm
Lear More
Crackdown on counterfeiting
From fake versions of the drugs Viagra and Xanax to phony designer watches and handbags, counterfeiting is rising fast and is increasingly becoming a booming underground economy. And while counterfeiters reap significant profits, millions of consumers are at risk from unsafe and ineffective products. Who hasn’t been tempted to purchase a fake designer handbag or watchâ��? They are a fraction of the cost of authentic designer products, ranging from the hundreds to the ten-thousands depending on the designer, the style and the materials used. But there are many reasons not to buy knock-offs, first and foremost because fakes harm people and hurt the economy. Despite being against the law, counterfeiting is big business. Counterfeit products exist in virtually every area – food, drinks, clothes, shoes, pharmaceuticals, electronics, auto parts, toys, currency, tickets for transport systems and concerts, alcohol, cigarettes, toiletries, building materials and much, much more.
http://www.iso.org/iso/home/news_index/news_archive/news.htm?refid=Ref1809
Lear MoreGibraltar vows to strengthen fight against cigarette smuggling
Gibraltar vowed Tuesday to step up its fight against cigarette smuggling from the British outpost into Spain, a major source of tension with Madrid. Cigarettes are around 40 percent cheaper in Gibraltar than in Spain due to lower taxes and Madrid blames the British territory for a surge in cigarette smuggling to the Spanish mainland. Spain in August introduced stringent border checks at its border with Gibraltar, leading to lengthy queues for motorists, in what it said was a move aimed at clamping down on cigarette smuggling. But Gibraltar argues the stepped up border controls are in retaliation for the installation of an artificial reef in its waters that has prevented Spanish boats from fishing there. In a New Year message broadcast on Gibraltar public television, Chief Minister Fabian Picardo said the British outpost “would not tolerate unsightly illicit tobacco activity on our beaches or near the frontier”.
Lear More
FBI gives pointers on spotting fake cosmetics
Counterfeit cosmetics are increasingly being found in the US and in some cases are “downright dangerous”, according to the FBI. The agency says both the National Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Centre and cosmetics companies are reporting an uptick in counterfeit cosmetics and fragrances circulating in the marketplace – often distributed via the Internet – because the people behind the activity view it as a low-risk crime. Some of the fake personal care and cosmetics products tested by the FBI have been found to contain toxic materials such as carcinogenic elements (arsenic, beryllium, and cadmium), high levels of aluminium and bacteria. They have been linked to the development of acne, psoriasis, rashes and eye infections.
Lear More