Committee Against Smuggling and Counterfeiting Activities Destroying the Economy

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DRI expresses concern over increased cigarette smuggling; warns smokers against cheap sticks

by adminficciDecember 5, 2022 News0 comments

 Officers of Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) have expressed concern over cigarette smuggling in a report, saying that high incidence of tax on the sin good is resulting in a tax arbitrage in favour of smuggling. It said the smuggled cigarettes are, on an average, 50 per cent cheaper in the Indian market as compared to the the similar domestic brands. From a public health perspective, the smuggling of cigarettes also poses a serious challenge since a part of the smuggled cigarettes are counterfeits and the quality of tobacco and other ingredients used in them, is inferior, it added. 

During 2021-22, 11 crore sticks valued at Rs 93 crore were seized by DRI officers. While 47 per cent of this originated from Myanmar, 22 per cent came from the UAE and 31 per cent from others. The report said COVID-19 pandemic has forced the policymakers and the businesses worldwide to thoroughly revisit their prevalent policy/business models. The same holds good for smugglers and contraband traffickers as well. 

https://zeenews.india.com/economy/dri-expresses-concern-over-increased-cigarette-smuggling-warns-smokers-against-cheap-sticks-2544352.html

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Role of Youth in Making India Free from Smuggling & Counterfeiting

by adminficciDecember 5, 2022 Past Events0 comments

Patna, Bihar| 5th December 2022

India has a young population profile, and it is imperative to understand the power of the consumers of tomorrow. With youngsters becoming a key stakeholder for advocating socially responsible behaviour, FICCI CASCADE believes that it is important to train and educate the young minds in order to empower and strengthen our society for national development and shape the future of our country in a brighter and more prosperous manner.

In our continuous endeavour to sensitize young minds and to create awareness about the intricacies and critical issues of illicit trade practices, FICCI CASCADE organized a two-day youth awareness programme in Patna, Bihar on 5th and 6th December 2022.

A youth competition on the theme “Role of Youth in Making India Free from Smuggling & Counterfeiting” was organised at Bankipur Girls High School. The programme was divided into three competitions: Painting, Elocution and Jingle Writing. The competition witnessed enthusiastic participation of over 350+ children from 40 leading schools in Patna. The competition was meant to generate awareness among the country’s youth and seek their support in addressing the growing hazards posed by counterfeiting and smuggling to strengthen the fight against illicit trade. It saw a plethora of ideas, innovative expressions, talent and content exhibited in way of speech, art and write ups.

The elocution competition was judged by Mr. Amrendra Kumar, Dwarika High School Mandiri, Patna; Ms. Binita Kumari, B. N. Collegiate, Patna and Ms. Shabnam, Bankipur Girls High School, Patna. The painting competition was judged by Ms. Bindu Kumari, Rajkiya Kanya Ucch Vidyalaya, Gardanibagh, Patna; Ms. Renu Kumari, D D Nandan Girls High School, Danapur, Patna and Ms. Archana Kumari, Ghanshayam Girls Higher Secondary School, Patna. The jingle writing competition was judged by Ms. Shrishti Suman, Bankipur Girls High School, Golghar, Patna; Ms. Sanju Kumari, B. N. Collegiate, Patna and Mr. Ravi Kumar, Dwarika High School, Mandiri, Patna.

Winners of the competition were:

Winners Elocution Competition Painting Competition Jingle Writing Competition
1st Prize Tannu Kumari, Kamla Nehru Girls School Radhika Kumari, Indra Prasad Singh Gangasthali High Secondary School Jonshon Kumar K B Sahay Shekhpuri
2nd Prize Siya Bharti, Govt. RGSS School, Bankipur Sristy Rachna, Kamla Nehru Girls School Roushni Kumari, Rabindra Baliya Vidhaya
3rd Prize Abhishek Raj, Govt Boys Sr. Secondary School Sagar Kumar, DPCSS (Miller) Sr. Secondary School Manish Kumar, Govt. Boys Sr. Secondary School

 

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Capacity Building Programme for Police Officers on Prevention of Counterfeiting and Smuggling Focus State: Lucknow

by adminficciNovember 28, 2022 Past Events0 comments

28 November 2022 | Sangoshthi Sadan, Police Line, Lucknow

India is a victim of large-scale smuggling and counterfeiting web, entangling not only our legal industry and economy, but also the consumers who are exposed to grave risks to life and security. The costs of these illicit activities are not only real but are huge. FICCI’s Committee Against Smuggling and Counterfeiting Activities Destroying the Economy (CASCADE) has been working concertedly with the enforcement officers across the nation to sensitize them and raise awareness on this very important issue. With this objective, FICCI CASCADE organized the “Capacity Building Programme for Police Officers of Uttar Pradesh on Prevention of Counterfeiting and Smuggling” on 28 November 2022 at Lucknow.

Mr. Nilabja Chaudhary, Joint Commissioner of Police, Crime and Hq, Lucknow was the chief guest at the programme. Mr. Chaudhary mentioned that the Police Department plays a significant role in ensuring the protection of legitimate businesses from illicit market operators. He highlighted that the Uttar Pradesh police actively seize products such as fake medicines, currency notes, cigarettes and liquor, which have direct repercussions on the law and order and public health and safety. The police department has seen a renewed spate of counterfeit cases in food and beverage industry in the past few months, particularly counterfeit edible oil at Farrukhabad Mandi.

Mr. Chaudhary accentuated that illicit trade, in terms of counterfeiting and smuggling, is among one of the factors that is impeding growth of the economy in multidimensional ways. He emphasized the need for a continuous dialogue with industry association like FICCI in order to make the public aware about the magnitude of the problem and promote fair trade practices to contribute greater equity in trade.  Capacity building programme in terms of skill, infrastructure and technology is essential for the law enforcement agencies in improving the detection and investigation of crimes relating to counterfeiting and smuggling. He suggested that coordinated efforts of the government, industry bodies and enforcement agencies are therefore needed to control the spread of this growing menace.

While giving an overview on socio-economic impact of counterfeiting and smuggling, Mr Deep Chand, Advisor, FICCI CASCADE and Former Special Commissioner of Police, New Delhi stated that the grey market is fueling illegitimate industry which is leading to an increased criminalization in the society. This capacity building program is aimed to sensitize the UP police officers on the importance of continued awareness and seriousness of the impact of counterfeit and smuggled products.

He further stated that as per the FICCI CASCADE’s recent report titled “Illicit Markets: A Threat to Our National Interests”, the unlawful trade in the five key industries (Mobile Phones, FMCG-Household and Personal Goods, FMCG-Packaged Foods, Tobacco Products, and Alcoholic Beverages) results in a total estimated legitimate employment loss of 15.96 lakh. The estimated tax loss to the government due to illicit goods in these industries is Rs 58,521 crore, with two highly regulated and taxed industries, tobacco products, and alcoholic beverages, accounting for nearly 49% of the overall tax loss.

Col Atul Yadav, General Manager- North, Industry Affairs, ITC Ltd. opined that illegal activities such as counterfeiting and smuggling are flooding the market with substandard fake and smuggled products which are produced without following quality norms at unhygienic places, and are sold illegally, thus contributing towards increase in unaccounted money. A major driver for the rampant increase of smuggling is high taxes which create a significant arbitrage to fuel such activities. The extent of smuggling in the country is a cause of great concern. However, to effectively tackle the growing menace of smuggling in India, a lot more needs to be done to make the compliance and processes more robust and detection of such crime easier, he added.

Mr. Gagan Rajpurohit, Legal Counsel, HUL Central Region and Mr. Devesh Pandey, Brand Protection Consultant, HUL discussed about various types of counterfeits products available in the market, how to identify them and the powers of police in search & seizure. They discussed practical challenges faced by the industry and how industry and police can work collaboratively to curb the menace of counterfeiting and smuggling.

Ms. Aashita Agarwal, Manager, Public Policy discussed Amazon’s efforts in mitigating fraud and abuse on marketplaces that hamper customer’s trust. She said that Amazon is committed to promoting and participating in the efforts for ensuring the empowerment of consumers to enjoy the benefits of online shopping while being protected from the risks the digital era may present.

 FICCI CASCADE has been over the years working closely with government, industry, enforcement officials, legal fraternity, consumer organizations and the youth to create awareness on the adverse impact of the problem of counterfeiting and smuggling.  Among other activities, FICCI CASCADE has been regularly engaging with law enforcement agencies including police, customs and paramilitary organizations engaged in border protection in sensitizing them on the gravity of the problem.

Media Coverage Lucknow Police Training Download Pdf

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Seminar on Preventive Strategies to Combat Counterfeiting and Smuggling

by adminficciNovember 8, 2022 Past Events0 comments

November 8, 2022 | Hotel Ramada Plaza, Guindy, Chennai

Technological advent, fast communication channels and globalisation have given impetus to the exponential growth of illicit trade in dangerous forms such as counterfeiting and smuggling. According to the World Economic Forum, the economic leakage from illicit trade creates an annual drain on the global economy of $2.2 trillion, which is nearly 3% of the world’s economy. FICCI CASCADE believes that awareness and outreach is an essential element in building a proactive strategy to curb this growing menace of counterfeiting and smuggling. With this view, FICCI CASCADE organised a seminar on “Preventive Strategies to Combat Counterfeiting and Smuggling” on 8th November 2022 at Hotel Ramada Plaza, Guindy, Chennai. The objective of the seminar was to focus on spreading awareness and enabling a dialogue between the stakeholders on the alarming magnitude of illicit trade to exterminate this demon from the society.

Dr. G S K Velu, Chairman, FICCI Tamil Nadu State Council & CMD, Trivitron / Neuberg Group of Companies in his welcome address said the existence and operation of counterfeiting and smuggling are broad in scope and large in value impacting not only the global economy causing losses to both industry and government, but also adversely affecting consumer health and safety and hugely funding terror activities across the globe. He emphasized that the consumers must ask for a bill while making any purchase in order to make India a tax complaint nation and encouraged citizens to be a part of progressive nation building.

Mr. P C Jha, Advisor, FICCI CASCADE and Former Chairman, Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) while outlining the landscape of illicit trade practices, highlighted that FICCI CASCADE’s recent report titled “Illicit Markets: A Threat to Our National Interests” examines the impact of illicit trade in five key industries in India namely Mobile Phones, FMCG-Household and Personal Goods, FMCG-Packaged Foods, Tobacco Products, and Alcoholic Beverages. According to the report, he said that the size of illicit market in the above-mentioned industries was ₹2,60,094 crore for the year 2019-20, with the FMCG industry — household and personal goods, and packaged foods together accounting for 3/4th of the total illicit value of goods in five key industries. The report further estimates that unlawful trade in the five above-mentioned industries results in a total estimated legitimate employment loss of 15.96 lakh. The estimated tax loss to the government due to illicit goods in these industries is Rs 58,521 crore, with two highly regulated and taxed industries, tobacco products, and alcoholic beverages, accounting for nearly 49% of the overall tax loss.

Thiru. R. SAKKARAPANI, Hon’ble Minister for Food and Civil Supplies, Government of Tamil Nadu was the chief guest at the programme. In his inaugural address he suggested that FICCI CASCADE should organize awareness programs in educational institutions and extensively involve the youth in this fight against illicit trade. He further urged FICCI CASCADE to propagate the problem of counterfeiting and smuggling on social media channels, newspapers and other promotional sources in order to make the general public aware of this alarming issue.

Hon’ble Minister informed that the stringent actions by the government and enforcement agencies in the state of Tamil Nadu has reduced smuggling of watches, gold, alcohol and Indian currency, to a considerable extent, but there’s a lot that still needs to be done.

Mr. Bhupesh Nagarajan, Co-Chairman, FICCI Tamil Nadu State Council & CMD, Indira Projects
in his concluding remarks said that counterfeiting and smuggling is damaging national progress by impacting its financial, social and physical health across the globe. There is vital need for the policy makers, enforcement agencies and industry to be on the front foot, to tackle it.

The seminar generated discussions on the policies to prevent counterfeiting and smuggling among senior officials including Mr. G. Ravindranath, Principal Commissioner, Chennai Customs, Mr. Mahesh Kumar Agarwal, Additional Director General of Police, Chennai, Ms. S. Saroja, Executive Director – Consumer Advisory and Outreach Vertical, Citizen Consumer and Civic Action Group (CAG) and Mr. Amrith Lal, Convenor, FICCI Tamil Nadu Finance & Taxation Panel and Senior Partner, KRT & Co.

Mr. Deep Chand, Advisor, FICCI CASCADE and Former Special Commissioner of Police, New Delhi while chairing the session said that increasing the rule of law and enhancing effectiveness of penalties and sanctions is important to curb the mounting hazards of counterfeiting and smuggling. It is imperative that businesses should take proper steps to protect consumers from the proliferation of scammers and infringers that seek to take advantage of the situation. He mentioned that capacity building in terms of skill, infrastructure and technology among the enforcement agencies in improving the detection and investigation of crimes will play an important role in making a conducive environment, free of illicit markets.

Mr. G. Ravindranath, Principal Commissioner, Chennai Customs said that smuggling is a transborder and transnational crime. It destabilizes the legal industry, restrain innovation and investment, reduces government revenues and hampers the health and safety of consumers. Therefore, strict enforcement plays a very important role in curbing this menace.

“Customs and border control agencies are playing a proactive role in preventing illicit trade and disrupting transnational smuggling operations. Indian customs have built a legal and administrative system, pioneering the implementation of automation, risk management and data analytics to combat illicit trade”, he added. Creating public awareness, increasing surveillance, coordination and concerted efforts are required amongst various stakeholders, enforcement agencies, industry, partnership with private stakeholders and consumers can help counter the problem of counterfeiting and smuggling, Mr. Ravindranath suggested.

Mr. Mahesh Kumar Agarwal, Additional Director General of Police, Chennai highlighted that the online sale of counterfeit products counts to $323 billion, out of which $ 98 billion accounts to consumer goods. Counterfeits in pharmaceuticals is a major issue affecting public health, and healthcare systems around the globe. Trade-in pharmaceutical counterfeits during COVID 19 spiked majorly in products such as vaccines, medicines, test kits, antibiotics, face masks and sanitizers. He also mentioned that illicit trade is a national threat, through which black money is generated which further funds organised crime like terrorism.

Ms. S. Saroja, Executive Director – Consumer Advisory and Outreach Vertical, Citizen Consumer and Civic Action Group (CAG) highlighted the need for continuous awareness generation to educate the consumers on the potential risks and detrimental impact of buying and using counterfeit, fake, spurious and smuggled products.

The event witnessed enthusiastic participation of over 120 industry captains, representative from consumer forums, lawyers, government officials and other stakeholders.

There is a need for consumers to demand their right of genuine and authentic products the seminar aims to awake the stakeholders on this menace.

Media Coverage- Chennai SeminarDownload Pdf

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BSF seizes containers with mobile phones floating in river along India-B’desh border, worth Rs 38 lakh

by adminficciOctober 9, 2022 News0 comments

Malda (West Bengal) [India], October 9 (ANI): The Border Security Force’s (BSF) 70 Battalion troops under South Bengal Frontier, deputed at Border Out Post Lodhia, seized 317 mobile phones floating in the Pagla River worth Rs 38 lakh on Saturday evening on the International Border (IB).

According to BSF, the seizure was based on the basis of accurate information received from BSF intelligence sources.

“On October 8 2022, at 1730 hrs, the troops of the Border Out Post Lodhia, 70 Battalion under South Bengal Frontier, seized 317 mobile phones while floating in the Pagla River,” the BSF said in a statement.

https://www.aninews.in/news/national/general-news/bsf-seizes-containers-with-mobile-phones-floating-in-river-along-india-bdesh-border-worth-rs-38-lakh20221009181257/?jr=on

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Assam Turns Into Transit Point For Gold Smugglers

by adminficciOctober 8, 2022 News0 comments

GUWAHATI: The recent gold seizures across India by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) indicate a spurt in the smuggling of gold through the north-eastern borders of Bangladesh and Myanmar, and in the entire process Assam turns into a main transit point for the smugglers. The state also is a market for international smugglers.

While the porous neighbouring borders have been used for smuggling in the past, 11 cases of gold seizures of 121 kg in September 2022 alone show that the North East corridor is still extensively being used by smugglers deploying ingenious ways of concealment, read a Union Ministry of Finance release.

https://www.guwahatiplus.com/exclusive-news/assam-turns-into-transit-point-for-gold-smugglers?jr=on

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Eight held in Mulugu with Rs 1.65 crore in fake currency in Telangana

by adminficciOctober 7, 2022 News0 comments

After thoroughly checking the two vehicles, police found that the eight accused were carrying demonetised and fake notes and took them into custody.

MULUGU: Venkatapuram police on Thursday arrested eight members of a gang that was peddling counterfeit currency and seized demonetised and fake notes with a face value of Rs 1.65 crore. Police also seized nine mobile phones and two cars from the culprits.

Speaking to the media, Mulugu SP Sangram Singh G Patil said that based on a tip-off that fake and demonetised currency is being transported for circulation, Venkatpuram police were conducting vehicle checks along with CRPF personnel, when two cars stopped at some distance and started turning back.

https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/telangana/2022/oct/07/eight-held-in-mulugu-with-rs-165-crore-in-fake-currency-in-telangana-2505498.html

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Five smuggling attempts foiled, Rs 4.73-cr gold seized at Hyderabad airport over two days

by adminficciOctober 7, 2022 News0 comments

Gold smuggling has been rising around Diwali over the past few years, says a Customs official.

Customs officials at Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Airport on Friday foiled three gold-smuggling attempts when they intercepted and arrested three flyers from Dubai, taking the number of foiled attempts this week to five. The officials said a total of 8,995g of gold, valued at Rs 4.73 crore, had been seized.

https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/hyderabad/five-smuggling-attempts-foiled-rs-4-73-cr-gold-seized-at-hyderabad-airport-over-two-days-8196167/

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Customs seizes ₹27 crore wrist watch at Delhi’s IGI airport, arrests passenger

by adminficciOctober 6, 2022 News0 comments

Premium Delhi Customs seize seven expensive wristwatches worth approximately ₹28 crores from a passenger at Indira Gandhi International Airport, in New Delhi on Thursday.

In the ‘biggest seizure’ of luxury goods at Delhi airport, an Indian national has been arrested for allegedly trying to smuggle seven high-end wrist watches, including the one made of gold and studded with diamonds worth more than ₹27 crore

An Indian national has been detained for allegedly attempting to smuggle seven expensive wrist watches, including one made of gold and set with diamonds worth more than ₹27 crore, according to officials. This is the “biggest seizure” of luxury goods at the Delhi airport.

https://www.livemint.com/news/india/customs-seizes-rs-27-crore-wrist-watch-at-delhi-s-igi-airport-arrests-passenger-11665070330102.html?jr=on

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Guj: Fake currency notes with Rs 317 crores face value seized from four cities; kingpin held in Mumbai

by adminficciOctober 4, 2022 News0 comments

SURAT: City police seized fake currency notes with the face value of Rs 317 crore from various locations in Gujarat and Mumbai and arrested six persons, officials said on Tuesday.

The main accused, Vikas Jain, was picked up from Mumbai. He runs a courier firm with branches in different cities. The counterfeit currency notes were seized from various locations in Mumbai, Anand, Surat and Jamnagar.

https://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2022/oct/04/guj-fake-currency-notes-with-rs-317-croresface-value-seized-from-four-cities-kingpin-held-in-mumbai-2504923.html

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