Over 8 million smuggled cigarettes seized on their way into Ireland behind ‘frozen chicken’
Revenue officers seized 8.4 million cigarettes at Dublin Port on Wednesday as a result of ongoing intelligence led operations.
The smuggled cigarettes were concealed behind pallets of frozen chicken in a refrigerated shipping container that arrived aboard a vessel from Rotterdam.
The ‘illicit white’ cigarettes, branded ‘RICHMOND’, have an estimated value of over €4.1 million, representing a loss to the exchequer of €3.51 million.
Investigations are ongoing. This seizure is part of Revenue’s ongoing operations targeting the shadow economy and the supply and sale of illegal tobacco products.
Lear MoreDelhi smugglers exploit dry lockdown: Illicit booze biz booms on high demand
On May 1, the Delhi Police arrested two men in Dwarka for smuggling hundreds of bottles of liquor in a vehicle laden with cucumber. On April 16, two men were caught transporting 25 boxes of illicit liquor in an ambulance in Chhawla. On April 5, a man was held near South Avenue Road with liquor bottles hidden inside milk containers. All these men had UP and Haryana connections.
The Delhi government is set to open at least 400 standalone liquor shops in non-hotspot areas on Monday when the third phase of the nationwide lockdown begins for two more weeks.
But the challenge also remains to crack down against inter-state smugglers and city bootleggers spreading their network and exploiting demands that have been spiralling amid Covid-19 curbs.
On Saturday, Delhi’s Excise Department asked four government agencies to immediately submit a list of liquor shops which conform to the Union Home Ministry’s relaxation criteria for the next phase of the lockdown allowing some non-essential standalone outlets to open.
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Customs foils bid to smuggle in nine million sticks of cigarettes
The Royal Malaysian Customs Department thwarted an attempt to smuggle in nine million sticks of white cigarettes worth RM720,000, which carried taxes of RM5.7 million, at the North Port of Port Klang yesterday.
Its assistant director-general Datuk Zulkurnain Mohamed Yusuf said acting on a tip-off and surveillance, a team of enforcement officers from Central Zone Unit II (Selangor) went to the port at 12.30pm and checked a 40 sq ft container declared as containing floor mats and bath towels.
“From the inspection, an amount of white cigarettes were found hidden behind sacks of goods which were declared to deceive the Customs authorities,” he said in a statement here today.
Zulkurnain said the modus operandi of the importer or agent was to place the big gunny sacks containing floor mats in the front of the container to hide the boxes of white cigarettes at the back portion, in a bid to evade detection by the authorities.
https://www.theedgemarkets.com/article/customs-foils-bid-smuggle-nine-million-sticks-cigarettes
Lear MoreOne arrested, two booked for smuggling liquor in Covid-19 hotspots
A man in his thirties was arrested and two others booked by the Phase 2 police in two separate incidents of smuggling imported alcohol. Two cars were also recovered and have been seized.
According to police, a Maruti Ertiga was stopped and checked near sector 93A during routine checking in hotspot zones of the district on Sunday evening. The driver was carrying three bottles of imported scotch, above the permissible limit for
The sale of liquor is banned in the state during the ongoing lockdown. As per rules, the permissible liquor limit for people in Uttar Pradesh is 1.5 litres IMFL, 1.5 litres country-made liquor and four bottles of beer.
“When questioned, he confessed that he was taking the liquor for a resident of Eldeco Utopia in Sector 93A, which is a hot spot in red zone and is sealed. After a while he got spooked and ran away, leaving the car and the liquor. The house of the man who had ordered the liquor was also searched but the suspect was nowhere to be found,” said Farmood Ali Pundir, station house offier, Phase 2 police station.
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Meghalaya: Government vehicle caught while smuggling illicit liquor during lockdown
In a major embarrassment for the establishment, South West Garo Hills police apprehended a government vehicle while it was illegally ferrying illicit country made liquor on Friday night (April 24).
The vehicle, belonging to the agriculture department in Tura, also had a car pass for the current lockdown making the act even more amplified in terms of impact.
As per information from SWGH police, the vehicle had 4 people travelling within with all of them being later released on a PR bond. Among the detainees, only the driver of the vehicle was an employee of the Agriculture department posted in Tura in West Garo Hills.
The liquor, locally known as ‘poteka’ or local moonshine is made from jaggery and was being ferried in the truck when it was stopped. The vehicle was allegedly being misused by the people involved, who were supplying and selling the drink to people in and around Tura.
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Gang involved in smuggling liquor busted
The Jalandhar Police Commissionerate on Thursday busted a gang involved in smuggling illicit liquor in the city amid lockdown. The police arrested three persons and recovered 316 cartons of liquor bottles of various brands.
The Commissioner of Police, Jalandhar, Gurpreet Singh Bhullar, said the police got a tip-off that Rajinder Kumar of Makhdoompura was supplying liquor in the city during the curfew imposed due to Covid-19, for which he had set up a godown at Raj Nagar.
To ensure that no one gets skeptical of this illegal business, Raju kept tenants at the godown, from where the liquor was supplied in a four- wheeler (PB-08 CH 9646).
Bhullar said a team of CIA Staff-1 raided the godown and arrested three suspects, identified as Amit Kumar, alias Ajay, Ankit and Ram Sewak, with 316 cartons of illicit liquor.
The CP further said Amit Kumar was a native of Visholi village in Unnao district of UP; Ankit of Chantpur village in Bihar; and Ram Sewak of Khera village in Unnao district of UP. They were Rajinder’s tenants and were involved in illegally supplying liquor during the lockdown. A case was registered.
https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/jalandhar/gang-involved-in-smuggling-liquor-busted-75196
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CBP seizes over 2,000 counterfeit KN95 masks from China
CINCINNATI — United States Customs and Border Protection officers in Cincinnati seized 2,000 counterfeit KN95 masks at a Cincinnati shipping hub in early April.
The masks had been shipped from China and destined for Austin, Texas, according to a news release. If they reached their destination uninterrupted, they could have been sold for as much as $7,000.
Officers seized the masks for trademark violation — KN95 masks are specifically manufactured by 3M, a company that makes safety products such as respirators and goggles — but noted that fake masks can also endanger public health during the coronavirus crisis.
“Trade in counterfeit and pirated goods threatens America’s innovation economy, the competitiveness of our businesses, the livelihoods of U.S. workers, and, in some cases, national security and the health and safety of consumers,” CBP spokesman Steven Bansbach said. “Trade in these illegitimate goods is associated with smuggling and other criminal activities, and often funds criminal enterprises.”
https://www.wcpo.com/news/coronavirus/cbp-seizes-over-2-000-counterfeit-kn95-masks-from-china
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Cigarette smugglers try to bribe cops, violate MCO
PENAMPANG: Two foreign men will face the music for trying to bribe police officers after being caught smuggling 755 cartons of contraband cigarettes.
Sabah Deputy Commissioner of Police Datuk Mazli Mazlan said the incident happened around 3.30pm on April 20 when a police team, carrying out ‘snap check’ operation, stopped the suspects’ Perodua Bezza car along Jalan Ulu Putatan.
He said the police stopped the vehicle for routine inspection during the movement control order (MCO) period and found boxes containing contraband cigarettes.
During questioning, one of the suspects tried to bribe police officers by offering RM7,000 for their release, he added.
However, Mazli said none of the officers were interested in the offer but instead detained both men at the scene, he told a press conference at the Penampang Police Headquarters yesterday.
https://www.theborneopost.com/2020/04/23/cigarette-smugglers-try-to-bribe-cops-violate-mco/
Lear MoreAs prices soar, gold seizures by Customs hits all-time high in Chennai
Spiralling gold prices and a sagging economy may have dampened the spirits of both consumers and jewellers. But, there are a few people making the most out of this situation.
As gold prices skyrocketed during FY20, smuggling activity also touched an all-time high. According to data shared by Chennai Customs, Chennai International Airport seized as much as 375 kg of gold in FY20 as against 271 kg seized in the previous year. The seizure, in value terms, had more than doubled to ₹134 crore in FY20 as compared to ₹87 crore a year ago.
The depreciation of the rupee in relation to the dollar and the US-China trade war crisis made investors find a safe haven in the yellow metal, which led to a price hike. In addition, the high customs duty made the legal import of gold costlier. All of these pushed some people to choose the smuggling path.
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Smuggling of alcohol, cigarettes on the rise
Lockdown regulations in South Africa have seen an increase in demand for products currently not available, with the national border protection tasking reporting a half a million Rand increase in the value of contraband seized last month compared with March 2019.
Statistics from the Joint Operations Division of the SA National Defence Force (SANDF) show contraband, including cigarettes, other tobacco products and alcohol, conservatively valued at R1,07 million was confiscated by patrolling soldiers on South Africa’s land borders with Botswana, eSwatini, Lesotho, Mozambique and Zimbabwe between 1 and 31 March. This is R472 063 more in Rand terms than the previous March.
At the same time it appears lockdown protocols and regulations, whether in South Africa or its neighbours, has not affected the efforts of dagga smugglers.
https://www.defenceweb.co.za/featured/smuggling-of-alcohol-cigarettes-on-the-rise/
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