Assam: 8 Cartons Of Illegal Burmese Cigarettes Seized, 1 Held
One person was arrested along with a large quantity of illegal foreign cigarettes in Lailapur in Assam’s Cachar district on Thursday.
Foreign cigarettes believed to be of Burmese origin were recovered by the police from one Noor Ahmed in Lailapur in Cachar.
The accused was reportedly trying to smuggle them from Aizawl to Silchar when he was caught.
Meanwhile, police have recovered 8 cartons of Burmese cigarettes from his possession. The culprit has been taken in for further questioning.
https://www.pratidintime.com/assam-8-cartons-of-illegal-burmese-cigarettes-seized-1-held/
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BOC-Zambo destroys P300-M smuggled cigarettes
ZAMBOANGA CITY – The Bureau of Customs (BOC) here, together with partner agencies, on Wednesday destroyed more than 8,000 master cases of smuggled cigarettes worth PHP300 million.
The cigarettes were stacked, drenched by firetrucks, and crushed with the use of heavy equipment in front of the BOC-rented warehouse in Barangay Baliwasan.
After crushing, the cigarettes were disposed at the sanitary landfill.
“These cigarettes were seized in separate anti-smuggling operations in Zamboanga Peninsula and BaSulTa (Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi) from May to November this year,” BOC-Zamboanga District Collector Segundo Sigmundfreud Barte Jr. said in an interview.
Barte said the destruction of the contraband serves as a warning that they are serious in the campaign against smuggling.
“The smugglers often declare their cargoes during anti-smuggling operations or Customs checkpoint as sacks of dried fish or fishes with other prime commodities or junk foods inside iceboxes,” he added.
https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1162810
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CBP seizes $30 million shipment of fake handbags and clothing ahead of holidays
US customs officers have seized a container filled with more than $30 million worth of fake designer bags and clothing at a Los Angeles port ahead of the holiday season, US Customs and Border Protection officials said.
CBP officers found bags, shirts and pants bearing counterfeit logos including Gucci and Louis Vuitton at the Los Angeles Seaport on November 9, the CPB said in a statement released December 2.
The container of 13,586 items had been shipped from China and would have had a combined estimated recommended retail price of $30,437,775, it said.
The CBP said that counterfeit goods had historically been sold in underground outlets and on illegitimate websites.
“The rise of e-commerce offers a haven for criminals who are now able to hide behind seemingly legitimate listings on well-known websites. The sale of counterfeit commodities multiplies the illegal profits of smugglers and traffickers who reinvest the proceeds from such sales into further criminal enterprises,” it said in its statement.
The agency’s Director of Field Operations in Los Angeles, Carlos C. Martel, said that “substantial law enforcement resources” were deployed to keep fake goods out of US supply chains.
https://edition.cnn.com/2021/12/05/us/cbp-counterfeit-handbag-seizure/index.html
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Delhi: Customs seizes 2,800 kg Pak-origin cosmetics sent via UAE to evade Rs 1.2 cr duty
The Delhi Customs has seized around 2,800 kg of Pakistani-origin cosmetic products which were routed through Abu Dhabi and shown as household items to evade customs duty to the tune of around Rs 1.2 crore.
“Acting on specific intelligence, officers of Air Cargo Export Commissionerate intercepted an import consignment at New Courier Terminal on November 29. For smuggling the goods and to evade detection, 87 unique names and addresses of consignees across the country were used. However, the goods in all the bags were found to be similar. The matter is under investigation to find out the real evader who is suspected to have used different names and addresses of the ghost recipients,” a senior official said.
An officer said a lot of 87 consignments had arrived by flight from Abu Dhabi. “After examination, 84 consignments were found to contain cosmetics of Pakistani origin, while three consignments were of perfume concentrate from Bahrain. As per rules, any imported goods originating from Pakistan attract basic customs duty at the rate of 200% of the value of the goods. The goods were attempted to be cleared through courier mode by mis-declaring the origin and description of goods, and its value to evade the applicable customs duty and IGST,” the officer said.
Lear MoreAssam Rifles seizes foreign-origin cigarettes worth Rs 70 lakh in Mizoram
The Serchhip Battalion of Assam Rifles in a joint operation seized 53 cases and 47 loose packets of V- Valiant Mild cigarettes (foreign origin cigarettes) worth Rs 70, 12,200 at Tlangsam Mizoram’s Champhai district on Wednesday.
Acting on specific information, troops of Assam Rifles along with Customs Dept officials carried out a joint operation, AR said in a statement.
The approximate cost of the recovered foreign-origin cigarettes is Rs 70, 12,200.
The recovered items have been handed over to the Customs Preventive Force in Champhai district for further legal proceedings.
Ongoing smuggling of foreign-origin cigarettes is a major cause of concern for the state of Mizoram, especially along the India-Myanmar border, said an Assam Rifles official.
Lear MoreFake Cartier watches and Gucci sunglasses among £500,000 haul seized in Bury New Road raids
Fake Cartier watches, Gucci sunglasses and Moncler jackets were seized in raids in Manchester’s “Counterfeit Street”.
Police searched premises in Bury New Road, Strangeways, as part of a huge week-long operation in the area and recovered goods worth half a million pounds.
A crackdown into the sale of counterfeit goods and illicit prescription drugs, saw officers from GMP, the North West Regional Organised Crime Unit, Home Office Immigration Enforcement, Trading Standards, and Manchester City Council execute warrants at two properties.
This week a Manchester Evening News investigation revealed how easy it was to buy prescription drugs in the area.
Within two minutes of arriving there a reporter was offered pregabalin, normally used to treat nerve damage, epilepsy, and anxiety, but now rife on the streets and used by rough sleepers and addicts.
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Gang who smuggled 117 million illegal cigarettes into UK and sent huge bundles of cash to ‘Big Boss’ exposed by EncroChat hack
A gang who smuggled more than 117 million illegal cigarettes into the UK and cheated the taxman out of £36million were caught out by the EncroChat hack.
The Rochdale-based gang smuggled the illicit cigarettes into the country on a ‘massive scale’, hiding them in lorries.
They also sent millions of pounds worth of cash – from selling the cigarettes – out of the UK in the same way to Poland to a mysterious figure referred to as ‘Big Boss’.
Hazhar Mohammad-Pani, 31, and Hubert Smolarek, 41, were both jailed for more than seven years.
“Although quite short lived, the offending in this case was on a massive scale and it was highly sophisticated,” Judge Nicholas Dean QC told the pair at Manchester Crown Court.
“EncroChat phones, while they are not illegal, have no use other than to criminals who operate at a very high level indeed, as was occurring in the case of Mr Smolarek and Mr Mohammad-Pani.”
Lear MoreCapacity Building Programme for Police Officers on Prevention of Counterfeiting and Smuggling Focus State: Himachal Pradesh
Date: 30th November, 2021| Virtual Mode
Focus State- Himachal Pradesh
FICCI CASCADE (Committee Against Smuggling and Counterfeiting Activities Destroying the Economy) organized a capacity building programme on Prevention of Counterfeiting and Smuggling for the police officers of Himachal Pradesh on 30th November 2021. Mr. Bimal Gupta, DIG cum Principal, Himachal Pradesh Police Training College was the chief guest at the programme. During his keynote address he said, “It has become imperative that India as a part of the global economy calls for stern and resolute counterstrike force against the ill-intentioned activities such as smuggling and counterfeiting.” Criminals have started to exploit consumers under the shield of COVID-19 pandemic through counterfeit medical products, frauds and cybercrimes, he added.
During the session, Mr. Deep Chand, Advisor, FICCI CASCADE and Former Special Commissioner of Delhi Police said that the grey market economy is fuelling illegitimate industry, leading to increased criminalization of the society in the form of organized crimes including terrorism. This capacity building program is aimed to sensitize the police officers to emphasize on the importance of continued awareness and seriousness of the impact of counterfeit and smuggled products.
Mr. P C Jha, Advisor, FICCI CASCADE and Former Chairman, Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs in his welcome address said that India is a victim of large-scale smuggling, impacting not only the legal industry and economy, but also exposing consumers to the grave risks to life and security. Complimenting the police officers of Himachal Pradesh, he further stated that despite the constant struggle, the enforcement officials have been determined to push back the smugglers, counterfeiters, tax evaders and traffickers.
Some of the key recommendations that emerged at the program included the need for capacity building in terms of skills, infrastructure and technology amongst the law enforcement agencies in improving the detection and investigation of crimes; need for additional manpower, a dedicated Economic Offences Wing, non-bailable offence measures for repeat offenders, including rigorous imprisonment and stringent monetary penalty, among others.
The representatives from ITC and Johnson and Johnson highlighted industry issues and spoke on the need for collaborative actions with police to counter such offences. The capacity building program saw participation of several officers of Himachal Pradesh Police across various districts. These programs organized by FICCI CASCADE are aimed to sensitize the police officers on the importance of continued awareness and the seriousness of the impact of counterfeit and smuggled goods on the Indian economy.
In Mumbai, 3,646 IPhones Worth Rs 42cr Seized At Airport; Smuggled From Hong Kong
The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has seized a stockpile of 3,646 iPhones being smuggled into India from Hong Kong. According to an official release of the DRI, two consignments with stocks of iPhone 13 Pro, iPhone 13 Pro Max, Google Pixel 6 pro, and Apple SmarthWatch arrived at the Air Cargo Complex (ACC) at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, Mumbai on Friday. In the import documents, the goods were declared as “memory cards”, and the value of the consignment was claimed to be Rs. 80 lakhs.
“After developing precise intelligence, officers of Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) inspected two consignments on 26.11.2021. These consignments had arrived from Hong Kong, at Air Cargo Complex (ACC), Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, Mumbai. In the import documents, the goods were declared as “memory cards”. Physical examination, however, revealed that the consignments actually contained the following items– iPhone 13 Pro — 2245, iPhone 13 Pro Max — 1401, Google Pixel 6 pro — 12, and Apple SmartWatch — 1,” DRI said in the statement.
The agency further stated that by smuggling over 3,646 iPhones, and other gadgets, attempts were being made to evade Customs Duty on the goods which go as high as 44%, as per the Indian law. “The abovementioned mobile phones and apple smartwatch, not having been declared, were seized under the Customs Act, 1962. The total value of the seized goods is around Rs. 42.86 crore, while the declared value of the goods was only Rs. 80 lakhs,” it stated.
Lear More185 spurious mustard oil cans seized in Burrabazar
KOLKATA: The enforcement branch has raided the premises of three edible oil traders in the Posta region after receiving complaints that they were blending rice bran oil with deadly dyes and chemicals and repacking them as mustard oil and selling them at Rs 160 per litre, almost Rs 30-Rs 60 less than the market rate. The government has banned blending of mustard oil since July earlier this year.
The EB have seized huge stocks of adulterated mustard oil from three godowns in Burrabazar. The adulteration was being carried out at special anti-chambers set up inside the godown, suspect investigators. “We have collected the samples and sent them for testing. The accused wanted to cash in on the mustard oil price rise and were making a nice profit by using sub-standard products,” said Bidisha Kalita, DC (EB).
According to police, it was around two days back that officers from the enforcement branch carried out a special drive against blended mustard oil based on inputs from various sources. “Samples from each accused were collected after we came to know that they were selling adulterated oil at anywhere between Rs 160-Rs 165 per litre, which is not possible at present market rates if it was pure. We even found underground chambers at each godown.
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