DRI sleuths seize cigarettes worth Rs 3 crore in Andhra Pradesh
VIJAYAWADA: Sleuths of Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) seized 29,99,600 foreign brand cigarettes worth Rs 3 crore which are being smuggled to Vijayawada on Sunday. The DRI officials also compounded the vehicle used for transporting the stock.
Acting on a tip-off that ‘PARIS’ brand cigarettes are being illegally transported, the DRI-Vijayawada unit launched an operation and intercepted a container truck bearing registration number RJ11 GB3685 on its way from New Delhi near a godown at P Nainavaram village.
Upon inspection, DRI officials found that the vehicle was loaded with HDPE woven sacks containing goods stitched from the top end where the cigarettes were kept hidden under stainless steelware. When questioned, the driver told officials that the vehicle started from New Delhi with another driver and after reaching Gwalior, he took over the vehicle and drove to Vijayawada as per the instructions of his management.
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Cigarette smugglers caught after high-speed chase in Limpopo
Police continue to crack down on illicit cigarette smugglers and traders as government vows to keep the tobacco ban in place during Level 3 lockdown.
On Sunday night, President Cyril Ramaphosa confirmed that the prohibition of tobacco products, which was first instituted in late March, would be upheld when the country enters Level 3 lockdown on 1 June.
The cigarette ban, fiercely defended by Cooperative Governance Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, has been widely condemned by South African smokers and tax watchdogs alike. While the Fair Trade Independent Tobacco Association (Fita) continues its legal fight to overturn the ban, the burgeoning black market maintains its grip on the cigarette supply chain.
The illicit trade as a result of Disaster Management Act regulations, which has forced 11 million South African smokers to either go cold turkey or engage in criminal activity to feed their nicotine habit, is estimated to cost the economy in excess of R35 million a day. The exorbitant loss of uncollected excise duties has been condemned by economists and civil societies.
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AG to take call on empowering liquor smuggling probe team
Haryana Legal Remembrancer (LR) has returned the file on giving opinion on empowering Special Enquiry Team (SET) invoking Section 32 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) for taking statements of witnesses. Now, Advocate General BR Mahajan will give his opinion on the matter.
The SET was formed to probe liquor smuggling.
According to Home Minister Anil Vij, the LR has said that the LR office doesn’t give opinion on criminal matters.
“The LR has suggested taking the opinion of either Haryana AG or the Prosecution Department,” said Vij. He added, “Now, the AG will give his opinion.”
When asked about the delay as the deadline (May 31) to give the SET report is approaching, Vij said that still “adequate time is available”.
Earlier, Vij had written to the Home Secretary for empowering SET probing liquor smuggling under Section 32 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) immediately so that they could summon and record statements of witnesses.
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Customs seize RM1.65m worth of illicit cigarettes in Tawau
TAWAU, May 23 ― The Royal Malaysian Customs Department (JKDM) seized RM1.65 million worth of illicit cigarettes during “Ops Supply Raya” raids in this district from April 24 until yesterday.
Sabah Customs assistant director Datuk Abdullah Jaapar said the various types and branded cigarettes were worth RM363,364 with unpaid taxes amounting to RM1,288,504.60.
Among the biggest seizures was during a raid in the wee hours of May 15 at a house in Kampung Sri Aman, where several boxes containing various types of smuggled cigarettes worth RM242,900 were found,” he said in a statement today.
Abdullah said the raids will continue until May 25, adding that despite no arrests made so far, the raids have managed to cripple cigarette smuggling syndicates in this district. ― Bernama
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Xiaomi bursts fake Mi Bluetooth Headsets production ring
Xiaomi‘s Legal department has announced the apprehension of a criminal ring that specialises in production and sales of fake Mi Bluetooth headsets.
The legal team disclosed that they received a report in March this year and subsequently discovered an online shopping platform that sold a large number of counterfeit Mi Bluetooth headsets. The company hinted that they swung into action with the assistance of the security forces and were able to track the production base of the fake Mi headsets to an industrial park in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province in April.
The team also disclosed that some of the products have already been fully produced while some others were still in production when the crack team stormed the factory. Over 1000 units of the fake Mi Bluetooth headsets, packaged in similar boxes as the original products were seized and the culprits apprehended. Xiaomi will also pursue a legal means of bringing the culprits to book.
The popularity of Xiaomi products has made it a lucrative venture for counterfeiters who ope to profit from the brand’s highly sought-after products. There have even been reports of fake Xiaomi phones and other products in the ecosystem. The fake products are not only a problem in China but even in India where the brand has attained unprecedented popularity. In December 2019, fake Xiaomi products worth over 13 Lakhs or $18,000 were confiscated at Delhi’s Gaffar Market in India.
https://www.gizmochina.com/2020/05/21/xiaomi-bursts-fake-mi-bluetooth-headsets-production-ring/
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Arrests made in U.S. currency counterfeiting operation in Peru
On April 4, the United States Secret Service office in Lima, Peru, and the Peruvian National Police Anti-Counterfeit Group arrested two individuals for manufacturing counterfeit United States currency, trafficking in counterfeit currency, and organized crime.
The agency said in a May 8 press release that $15 million in counterfeit U.S. currency, an offset printing press, and ink canisters were seized. The operation began in February when the two agencies began an investigation into the reproduction and distribution of U.S. Federal Reserve notes. It included undercover phone calls, wire intercepts, surveillance, and purchasing of counterfeit U.S. currency, along with information provided by criminal associates.
Special Agent in Charge Brian Swain said, “These are trying times but that does not mean that the Secret Service will not continue their investigative and protective no-fail mission.” The defendants will be prosecuted by the Peruvian Justice System. The warrant was executed with extreme caution due to the risk posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Fake COVID test kits, pills seized in Buffalo
A national Homeland Security operation aimed at combating fraud related to the novel coronavirus resulted in the seizure of thousands of phony COVID-19 testing kits, N95 masks and fake medications in Buffalo.
Homeland Security special agents and U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents in Buffalo said they seized 6,000 fraudulent COVID-19 test kits, 3,400 N95 masks, and thousands of purported treatment pills to include Hydroxycloroquin Sulfate, Lainhua Qingwen Jianonang, Levofloxacin, Avelox, Chloroquin Phosphate, Azithromycin, and Chloroquine. More than $110,000 in illicit funds tied to COVID-19 fraud was also seized, officials said.
The investigation, dubbed Operation Stolen Promise, involves multiple federal agencies as well as business and industry representatives. Officials said it was launched in response to surging criminal activity surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.
Lear MoreGutkha, tobacco products worth lakhs seized
The Mumbai Police Crime Branch’s crackdown on smuggling of prohibited products could blow the lid off a larger racket involving misuse of government-issued passes for heavy vehicles. In the third such incident this month, the Crime Branch has seized gutkha and tobacco products, this time from a vehicle with permission to transport groceries and water.
The racket was busted after police inspector Sunil Mane, in charge of Unit X, received a tip-off and conducted a raid near Malik Compound in Chandivali on Tuesday. The police team searched a truck parked outside the compound and found 12 sacks of gutkha and scented supari containing tobacco. Transport of both are currently prohibited due to the nationwide lockdown.
“The truck’s windshield had a sticker saying it had permission to transport groceries and water in the lockdown. The total value of the seized goods is ₹11.8 lakh,” said a Crime Branch officer.
Lear MoreDelhi Customs officials seize PPE kits, sanitisers and lakhs of masks; consignments were being smuggled to US, UAE and Europe
New Delhi: Large quantities of sanitiser, PPE kits, masks and its raw materials being sent abroad illegally have been seized by customs officials at the cargo terminal in New Delhi, officials said.
The goods were mis-declared as garments, kids dresses, cosmetic items and packing materials for pouches to avoid suspicion and further scrutiny by the customs officials, officials said on Thursday.
The export of such goods is prohibited by the government due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many countries have either increased the production of such products or ordered their imports owing to demands as they stare at its possible shortage.
Giving details of the seizures, a senior customs official said 2,480 kg of raw material for masks was intercepted by air cargo export.
In addition to these, the air cargo officers intercepted multiple shipments containing 5.08 lakh masks, 57 litres of sanitiser in 950 bottles and 952 PPE kits at the courier terminal in New Delhi, he said.
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€90k worth of cigarettes seized at Dublin Port
Cigarettes, worth over €90,000 have been seized by Revenue at Dublin Port.
They were discovered as part of an intelligence led operation today.
The smuggled cigarettes were discovered in a container carrying a mixed consignment of goods and were concealed behind air conditioning fan fittings that were destined for an address in Dublin.
The smuggled cigarettes, branded ‘Double Happiness’ and ‘Lambert and Butler’ have a retail value of over €91,000, representing a loss to the exchequer of €79,000.
Investigations are ongoing.
https://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/90k-worth-of-cigarettes-seized-at-dublin-port-999495.html
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