BOC: P91 billion smuggled goods seized under Duterte’s term
MANILA, Philippines — Smuggled goods including illegal drugs valued at more than P91 billion were confiscated by government agents as the smuggling of various products intensified during the implementation of pandemic lockdowns, the Bureau of Customs (BOC) reported yesterday.
Data obtained by The STAR showed that the BOC seized a total of P91.15 billion worth of smuggled imports from July 2016 to March this year, with only one quarter left in President Duterte’s term.
Nearly 43 percent of the smuggled products amounting to P39.06 billion were confiscated during the pandemic: P10.63 billion in 2020 and P28.43 billion in 2021.
According to the BOC, illegal drugs accounted for 19 percent of the volume at P16.91 billion, with the bulk of the haul at P6.63 billion confiscated in 2017.
In the first quarter of 2022, Customs agents prevented the entry of P3.89 billion worth of smuggled goods. Of the figure, 39 percent or P1.53 billion consisted of illegal drugs. The BOC also confiscated shipping containers of counterfeit products at different ports.
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More Than $300,000 Worth of Electronic Vaporisers and Components Seized at Tuas Checkpoint
On 5 and 7 April 2022, Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officers at Tuas Checkpoint detected 1,200 electronic vaporisers (e-vaporisers) and more than 49,000 e-vaporiser related components concealed in various compartments of three Malaysian-registered lorries entering Singapore. The street value of the seized e-vaporisers and components is estimated to be more than $300,000.
On 5 April, ICA officers foiled an attempt to smuggle 1,200 pieces of disposable e-vaporisers into Singapore via a Malaysian-registered lorry transporting resin. The officers had directed the lorry for further checks and uncovered the disposable e-vaporisers hidden behind the driver and passenger’s seats, and below the passenger’s leg rest area.
On 7 April, ICA officers foiled two other attempts to smuggle e-vaporiser refill pods into Singapore via two Malaysia-registered lorries. In the first attempt, officers found black bags hidden behind the driver and passenger’s seats and uncovered a total of 36,270 e-vaporisers refill pods. In the second attempt, officers uncovered several bundles of black trash bags containing 13,125 pieces of e-vaporiser refill pods concealed underneath a blanket behind the driver and passenger’s seats.
Lear MoreCase filed in CMM court in fake Covid medicines’ case
Kanpur: Gangs which supplied fake medicines during the Covid second wave in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand had been busted by the crime branch of UP Police last year. Now the lab reports have also confirmed that the medicines sold by such gangs were fake. Most of the drugs were antibiotics and pain relievers. The drug department had sent the samples for laboratory tests.
After sending the report to the government and the Kanpur district magistrate on behalf of the drugs department, a case was filed in the CMM court here on March 31.
To recall, the STF had arrested several people and seized 268 fake Remdesivir injections in Babupurwa locality of the city. After this the crime branch became active and the team led by the then ADCP Deepak Bhukar raided Uttarakhand and several cities, including Kanpur, Lucknow, Meerut, Aligarh and Hapur. During this period, there was a huge seizure of medicines, besides raw material for making medicines, packing machines, wrappers, etc. The drug department had sent the samples of these drugs to the laboratory for testing. Now after the investigation report, it came to fore that all these medicines were fake.
The drugs department filed a case on March 31 in the local Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) court after the medicines were found to be counterfeit.
Lear MoreMan arrested for selling fake goods
Hyderabad: The Shahinayathgunj police arrested a person for selling duplicate electrical and grocery products on Sunday.
The Task Force police conducted a raid and seized fake goods, all worth ₹4 lakhs from him. The police said that the accused, a native of Rajasthan has migrated to Hyderabad to do the business.
One of his friends in Rajasthan told him about making profit by selling duplicate products.
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Hyderabad: Duplicate grocery goods seized, one held
Hyderabad: The Hyderabad police seized large quantity of duplicate grocery items and arrested one person involved in the illegal business.
The police seized duplicate of leading shampoo brands, tea powder, hair oil, soap, detergents, among other products. The arrested person Jithender Kumar Sharma (32) was purchasing the duplicate products from one Ramesh of Rajasthan.
“Ramesh was supplying the products to Jithender at a cheaper price, the former supplied it to small retail stores around the city after passing it off as a genuine product,” said DCP Task Force, P Radha Kishan Rao.
The packaging of the products was similar to the original goods and did not give scope for suspicion among the buyers, said the official.
A case is booked at the Shahinyathgunj police station. Efforts are on to nab Ramesh who is absconding.
https://telanganatoday.com/hyderabad-duplicate-grocery-goods-seized-one-held
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BSF seizes 210 bottles of Phensedyl from India-Bangaldesh border in Meghalaya’s South Garo Hills
Guwahati (Assam) [India], April 2 (ANI): In its bid towards making the region drugs and crime-free, troops of 43 Battalion BSF on Friday seized 210 bottles of Phensedyl from the international border of Meghalaya’s South Garo Hills district, said BSF.
According to BSF, the drugs were being smuggled from India to Bangladesh.
The smuggling of this banned cough syrup from India to Bangladesh remains a challenge for the Border Security Force, stated the BSF in a statement issued on Saturday.
It is codeine-based cough syrup, used as a substitute for liquor, which is strictly prohibited in the neighboring country.
Since the commencement of this year, BSF Meghalaya Frontier seized more than 1300 bottles of Phensedyl while being crossed through International Border.
Border security forces of India and Bangladesh exchange monthly data on the seizure of drugs and narcotics to identify vulnerable routes and to make a coordinated plan for curbing this menace.
Lear MoreExcise seizes 8,500 litres of spirit
Kochi: After a lull, spirit smuggling resumed in Ernakulam as around 8,500 litres of spirit was recovered by the excise officers in two seizures reported at Kalamassery and Aluva on Wednesday night. Out of this, 1,400 litreswas seized from 40 cans kept in a truck that was bound to Idukki. The remaining quantity was seized from a paint godown at Edayar industrial area in Aluva in a raid held based on the details collected from the truck driver. Two people have been arrested on Wednesday night itself and another person, who went absconding, was arrested on Thursday evening.
The arrested have been identified as Baiju alias Kuttappai, 50, of Thammanam, Sam Kumar, 38, of Thrikkakara, who are the driver and cleaner of the truck respectively, and N V Kurian, 65, of Kaloor, who is the owner of the godown. The officers suspect that the spirit was smuggled to make spurious liquor in the guise of Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) as they seized bottle labels of several IMFL brands too from the godown.
The seizure was made by the state excise enforcement squad with the help of Aluva excise range officers. According to the officers, the truck was intercepted by the team at Kalamassery around 9pm of Wednesday. The 40 cans, each with a capacity of 35 litres, were packed in cardboard boxes and claimed to be sanitizer that were being transported to Idukki. The details collected from them led to the seizure of 203 cans of spirit from the secret underground cabin of the paint godown at Edayar.
Assistant excise commissioner (Ernakulam) B Tenymon said that Kurian was arrested from his house at Kaloor but he has been admitted in Aluva Taluk hospital as he was physically unwell. “ A case has been registered under Section 55 of Abkari Act. Samples of the spirit will be given to the Regional Chemical Examiner’s Laboratory, Kakkanad, for testing,” he said.
Lear MoreSibugay town cops recover smuggled cigarettes
POLICEMEN have recovered P30,000 worth of smuggled cigarettes in the province of Zamboanga Sibugay, a top police official said Wednesday, March 30.
Police Colonel Albert Larubis, Zamboanga Sibugay police director, said the cigarettes were recovered around 2 p.m. Tuesday, March 29, in Bliss village, Buug.
Larubis said the smuggled cigarettes were recovered following receipt of information that two motorcycle-riding persons dropped two sealed master cases of cigarettes with marking Cannon.
Larubis believes the two master cases of cigarettes were dropped in the area and were supposed to be picked up by another person for delivery to its buyer.
He said the smuggled cigarettes are now under the custody of Buug Municipal Police Station for proper disposition.
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FBR seizes Rs475m worth of smuggled goods in Balochistan
In a major operation against smugglers, Pakistan Customs (FBR), Quetta seized 11 containers stuffed with smuggled goods. In a well-coordinated and successful operation on Saturday and Sunday nights in two districts bordering Punjab, the anti-smuggling squads of Customs Enforcement Quetta seized eleven containers of smuggled goods.
These operations were personally supervised by the Collector Enforcement Quetta, assisted by LEAs. Four of these containers are fully loaded with fabric, three with new tyres and four with mixed goods including fabric, tyres, cigarettes, betel nuts, etc. CIF Value of the seized goods/ containers is assessed to be Rs.380 million, having market value of approximately Rs.475 million. FIR has been lodged against unknown persons and further investigation is under way.
It is pertinent to mention that Federal Board of Revenue is following a policy of zero tolerance against smuggling and thereby has increased its vigilance and surveillance of cargo movement across the border. Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin has commended FBR for its successful anti-smuggling drive across Pakistan.
https://www.aaj.tv/news/30282336/
Lear MoreMizoram: Fake currency worth Rs 11 lakh seized from Aizawl
Aizawl: Special narcotics team (Crime Branch) of Mizoram police and Border Security Force (BSF) have seized Rs 11.35 lakh worth fake Indian currency notes (FICN) in Aizawl, a senior police officer said on Sunday.
Mizoram Deputy Inspected General of Police (CID) Lalhuliana Fanai said that the operation was carried out jointly with the BSF at Aizawl’s Dinthar locality based on specific information on Saturday.
Lalmuankimi, a 48-year-old woman from Mualpui Salem Veng neighbourhood in Aizawl, has been arrested for possessing the fake currency, he said.
He said that the seized fake Indian currency notes were in the denominations of Rs. 500 (1368 numbers/notes), Rs. 200 (1,507) and Rs. 100 (1,502).
The senior police said that further investigation into the case is on.
It is yet to ascertain where the fake Indian currency notes were smuggled from, another police officer said.
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