Brothers jailed for smuggling contraband shisha tobacco
Two brothers were jailed at the Old Bailey this afternoon after customs officers mounted their biggest ever investigation into contraband shisha tobacco. They attempted to smuggle more than 5.8 tonnes into the country which would have cost the Government more than £500,000 in lost tax. The two brothers, Mahfouz and Sayyeduz Chowdhury from Camden had disguised the tobacco from Dubai as Arabian incense. The Customs operation started in April 2012, after UK Border Force officers at Tilbury docks discovered 2.2 tonnes of Shisha in a consignment from Dubai in 2,200 packages with false labels. The consignment was destined for a shisha café in Kilburn operated by Sahara Lounge Ltd run by the Chowdhurys.
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Genetically Modified Tobacco Plants Are Viable for Producing Biofuels
In her PhD thesis Ruth Sanz-Barrio, an agricultural engineer of the NUP/UPNA-Public University of Navarre and researcher at the Institute of Biotechnology (mixed centre of the CSIC-Spanish National Research Council, Public University of Navarre and the Government of Navarre), has demonstrated, for the first time, the viability of using specific tobacco proteins (known as thioredoxins) as biotechnological tools in plants. Specifically, she has managed to increase the amount of starch produced in the tobacco leaves by 700% and fermentable sugars by 500%. “We believe that these genetically modified plants,” she explained, “could be a good alternative to food crops for producing biofuels, and could provide an outlet for the tobacco-producing areas in our country that see their future in jeopardy owing to the discontinuing of European grants for this crop.”
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Column: Shake off that ‘fake’ addiction
In 2005, the Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) estimated that international trade in counterfeit and pirated products was nearly $200 billion. A study by Business Action to Stop Counterfeiting and Piracy, which is under the International Chamber of Commerce in 2008 estimated the impact of smuggled/counterfeited products on the G-20 economies to be a staggering $455-650 billion. It has been projected that by 2015 the impact of smuggled and counterfeited goods will be between $1,220-1,770 billion. This is a serious issue and it will take concerted action by the society and the government to deal with this growing menace.
The Indian economy is growing at a fast pace, but as is apparent, so is the menace of smuggling and counterfeiting. The socio-economic impact of these anti-social activities in seven critical Indian sectors namely auto components, alcohol, computer hardware, fast-moving consumer goods, mobile phones and tobacco. While illegal trade in auto components causes a loss of R9,198 crore to the industry, other figures are equally worrisome. The loss is R5,626 crore in alcohol, R4,725 crore in computer hardware, over R35,000 crore in FMCG (which includes both personal and packaged goods), R9,042 crore in mobile phones and R8,965 crore in tobacco. The total loss calculated from all sectors in 2012 alone is nearly R73,000 crore.
http://www.financialexpress.
Interpol seizes illicit drugs in African campaign
The largest Interpol operation to date against pharmaceutical crime across Southern Africa has resulted in the seizure of almost 100 tonnes of illicit and counterfeit medicines, with 181 suspects arrested or placed under investigation. Operation Giboia saw more than 900 officers from the five participating countries – Angola, Malawi, Swaziland, Tanzania and Zambia – take part in some 550 coordinated raids and inspections of marketplaces, pharmacies and clinics, as well as illicit care centres and outlets, in around 30 cities and border points. The seized illicit and counterfeit medicines, both branded and generic, are estimated to be worth approximately $3.5m, said Interpol in a press statement. The seized products included illicit and counterfeit versions of antibiotics, birth control, anti-malarial and analgesic medicines. Diverted and expired medical products were also identified. The key objectives of Operation Giboia were to identify, investigate and disrupt criminal networks involved in pharmaceutical crime, and to raise public awareness of the risks of fake medicines and other related pharmaceutical crimes.
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Sniffing out fake perfume
Swiss scientists have developed an analytical ‘nose’ that can differentiate between genuine and fake perfume products. The technique – known as electrostatic spray ionization (ESTASI) – can analyse and identify counterfeit perfumes faster than conventional methods, according to the researchers from the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL). “The perfume market is growing significantly, and it is easy to find imitative fragrances of probably all types of perfume,” say the researchers, who used their technique to analyse six fragrances from well-known manufacturers including Givenchy, Hermes and D&G. Fake fragrances are usually of lower quality than authentic ones, which can damage the reputation of perfume companies and cost the cosmetic industry and consumers “significant amounts of money,” they write in the journal Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry (RCMS). Using ESTASI, the commercial fragrances were analysed and compared to a ‘model’ perfume made up of 10 different compounds. The results showed that the new method was able to quickly distinguish between authentic perfumes and a mock counterfeit.
http://www.securingindustry.com/cosmetics-and-personal-care/sniffing-out-fake-perfume/s106/a1850/
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Seizures of illegal cigarettes reach 15-year low
Hauls of cigarettes are smaller and better concealed as drugs gangs professionalise smuggling.
Seizures of counterfeit and smuggled cigarettes have plummeted in the Republic this year as gangs involved in the drugs trade have moved into the area and enjoyed considerable success in evading detection. If trends witnessed in the first eight months of the year are maintained until the end of 2013, seizures will be at their lowest levels for a decade and a half and will have fallen by two-thirds on the €95 million to €110 million seen in recent years. This is despite the fact that demand for illegal cigarettes remains at all-time highs, with smokers keen to source packets of 20 for around half the price of a packet on sale in legitimate retailers. Interceptions are taking place more infrequently than before and involve smaller quantities, despite the Revenue Commissioner’s own research that the black market trade remains steady at around 13 per cent of the total cigarette sales market in Ireland.
http://www.irishtimes.com/seizures-of-illegal-cigarettes-reach-15-year-low-1.1552183
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Police seize suspected counterfeit sunglasses
SUSPECTED counterfeit branded sunglasses have been seized by police in Winsford. Officers executed a warrant at Bakers Court on Friday morning, September 2013. During the search of the premises a quantity of various branded sunglasses were discovered. Officers believed that they were counterfeit and arrested a 44-year-old male at the address. Trading Standards were contacted and have interviewed the male who is now on bail until November 25 pending further enquiries.
http://www.winsfordguardian.co.uk/news/10721406.Police_seize_suspected_counterfeit_sunglasses/
Lear MoreTanzania: Prosecute Windhoek Beer Smugglers, DPP Urged
MABIBO Beer Wine and Spirit Limited have asked the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) to prosecute all the people who have caused the government to suffer pecuniary losses in terms of revenue for smuggling Windhoek Premium Lager Beer in Tanzania. Already two businessmen, Ambere Mwaseba (38) and Sebastian Kavishe (45), have been arraigned at the Kisutu Resident Magistrate’s Court in Dar es Salaam for allegedly infringement of exclusive rights of the company by trading several cartons of the beer brand valued at over 107m/-. “Smuggling of Windhoek Premium Lager Beer has great negative impact in the country’s economy,” the Executive Chairman with the Company, Mrs Bernadette Rugemalira, told journalists in Dar es Salaam on Friday. She emphasized that to avoid confusion with other smuggled products, the beer brand for the Company on both bottles and boxes would have a specific indication showing that the sole distributor of the beer brand would be Mabibo Beer and Spirit Limited in addition with gradual MB66 mark. Stressing on the need of respecting the Rule of Law at the same meeting, Independent International Consultant with the company, Mr James Rugemalira, said Mabibo Beer and Spirit Limited was the sole importer and distributor of the beer brand in the country.
http://allafrica.com/stories/201310071788.html
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Oct 04 – RGP Smuggling Operation Seizes 15000 Cigarettes
As a result of an on-going surveillance operation the RGP arrested, on Thursday 3 October 2013 at the Queensway Car Park, seven Spanish nationals on suspicion of being knowingly concerned in the attempted exportation of a commercial quantity of tobacco, as a result of the arrests approximately 15000 cigarettes, a Ford Transit van, a Citroen Picasso, a white Nissan vanette and a Mitsubishi Charisma were seized by the police. The Ford Transit van was being used as a mobile workshop where tyres were being deflated and then packed with cigarettes. The tyres were then inflated and placed on waiting vehicles. The said van had all its windows blackened which made the interior non visible from outside. Inside there was an air compressor connected to the vehicles battery. There was also some sort of ‘A’ frame, which allowed them to remove the tyre from the wheel. This was a well-planned operation to smuggle large quantities of cigarettes through the frontier undetected.
The seven arrested persons have all been bailed out in the sum of £1000 in their own recognizance to appear at Police Headquarters on the 27 November 2013.
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Tracking terror money
During the past few decades, intelligence and law-enforcement agencies around the world have found conclusive evidence of the increasing involvement of terrorism organisations in counterfeiting, piracy and smuggling activities to fund terrorist attacks. While several counterfeiting outfits are transferring portions of their proceeds to terrorist organisations, some of these are set up for the sole purpose of financing terrorism. Counterfeiting of drugs, luxury goods, cigarettes, etc. is a major source of contribution to funding. Similarly, smuggling of goods is used by terrorist organisations to raise funds and launder proceeds from other businesses, and use these to finance terrorism. According to a FICCI-E&Y report ‘Counterfeiting, Piracy and Smuggling — Growing Threat to National Security’, the costs incurred by terrorist organisations can be divided into direct and indirect costs. The direct costs incurred include those of materials used in attacks, e.g., explosives, vehicles, weapons, communication equipment, etc. The indirect costs incurred, which are usually much higher than direct ones, include those of running terrorist organisations, including recruitment, training, propagation of agenda, cost of inactive terrorist cells, etc. Investigations by law enforcement agencies have revealed that smuggling of gold, cigarettes, oil, precious gems and stones, music and film DVDs, narcotic drugs, etc., are major contributors towards financing of terrorism. Given their vast network, it is easier for organised crime outfits to raise funds through counterfeiting, piracy and smuggling.
http://www.thehindu.com/