Customs arrests 13 men for smuggling in cigarettes worth over Rs 66 lakh from Dubai
NEW DELHI: Customs officials have arrested 13 men for smuggling into the country over 7.5 lakh cigarette sticks, worth Rs 66 lakh, at Delhi international airport, officials said on Friday.
The accused were intercepted by the officials after their arrival from Dubai on Thursday. They were found to be carrying over 7.5 lakh cigarette sticks in their baggage, the customs officials said.
All the accused, aged between 26-40 years, worked as laborers and were stranded in Dubai due to COVID-19.
They were probably lured into carrying the cigarettes in lieu of free-flying tickets by the mastermind, the officials said. The cigarettes, worth Rs 66.6 lakh, have been seized and the accused were arrested, according to a statement issued by the customs.
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Two trucks intercepted at border post attempting to smuggle R2m worth of illicit goods
Police say two suspects will appear in court on charges of smuggling illicit cigarettes and Contravention of Medicine and Related Substance Control Act.
Police deployed at the Groblersbridge Border post outside Lephalale, Limpopo, on Tuesday intercepted two trucks attempting to smuggle R2 million worth of illicit goods into South Africa.
Police spokesperson, Brigadier Motlafela Mojapelo said two suspects were arrested.
“The customs and border police officials intercepted two trucks attempting to cross from Botswana into South Africa, carrying loads of copper. The trucks were diverted to a searching bay where a thorough inspection of the consignments was conducted. Upon inspecting the cargo, boxes containing creams and cigarettes, covered with the tarpaulins, were discovered,” Mojapelo said.
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US agents seize 1,000+ bogus luxury watches in shipment from Dominican Republic
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico.- U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) San Juan Field Operations announced Tuesday the seizure of about one thousand counterfeit designer and luxury watches in a commercial shipment coming from the Dominican Republic. The estimated manufacturer suggested retail price (MSRP) of the seized products is approximately $420, 583, had the goods been genuine.
“Fake watches do not have the quality of the genuine product,” indicated Leida Colon, Assistant Director of Field Operations for Trade. “These watches are made with substandard materials that do not withstand the toils of daily use.”
The majority of the counterfeits seized by the San Juan Field Office are illegitimate goods in the jewelry, footwear, clothing and prescription drugs product categories. The source countries for most of these items are Hong Kong and China.
The sale of counterfeit goods robs legitimate businesses of revenue, robs American workers of jobs, and poses health and safety threats to U.S. consumers. Often, the proceeds from counterfeit merchandise sales support nefarious or illicit businesses and activities.
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CBP finds more than $171,000 hidden in truck in El Paso border cash smuggling attempt.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers seized a cash shipment of $171,992 heading to Mexico at the Zaragoza Bridge in El Paso.
A photo released by CBP showed stacks of bills in denominations of $100, $50, $20 and a few $10, $5 and $1 bills.
The cash was found the evening of July 13 when CBP officers checking traffic heading to Mexico inspected a Chevrolet Silverado, officials said.
During the inspection, CBP officers found nine bundles of cash hidden in the dashboard. The undeclared currency was seized from a 23-year-old man, a U.S. citizen, who was driving the truck, officials said.
Travelers can carry any amount of cash across the border. But if the amount is more than $10,000, it must be reported to CBP. The unreported money can be seized and the person arrested for failing to declare the currency.
Lear MoreMiddle East/North African Authorities Seize Fake Medical Products
Amid a global surge for medical supplies caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, an Interpol-coordinated operation across the Middle East and North Africa seized thousands of counterfeit medical masks and drugs.
Between February and April, authorities from Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Qatar and Saudi Arabia carried out inspections on their land, water and air borders, targeting pharmaceutical crimes.
This led to the seizure of 61,000 respiratory masks, 63,418 face masks and 85,000 other medical products such as gloves, thermometers, medical glasses, in addition to a variety of illicit medicine ranging from antimalarial drugs to sexual stimulants.
Interpol estimated the worth of the goods seized to US$14 million.
“The volume of illicit medicines and counterfeit medical products seized during this operation is a reminder of the extent of this global problem and the very real risk to public safety,” Paul Stanfield, Interpol Director for Organized and Emerging Crime, stressed.
Lear MorePolice seize fake COVID kits in international trafficking crackdown
Police have seized 17,000 fake COVID-19 testing kits discovered in raids against illicit food and drink products across dozens of countries, Interpol said Wednesday.
Officials seized $40 million (34.5 million euros) worth of fake or substandard products in 77 countries, and arrested 407 people in the operation, carried out from December 2019 to June 2020.
The products included contaminated dairy products, meat from illegally slaughtered animals and food products falsely labelled as medicinal cures, said Interpol, based in the southeastern French city of Lyon.
But police also intercepted thousands of fake medical products as countries worldwide rushed to secure supplies while locking down to curtail the coronavirus pandemic.
“As countries around the world continue their efforts to contain COVID-19, the criminal networks distributing these potentially dangerous products show only their determination to make a profit,” the agency’s secretary general Jurgen Stock said in a statement.
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Bangkok police seize fake drugs, cosmetics, supplements in factory raid
Police and officers of the Food and Drug Administration seized 119 items made using hazardous substances and sporting fake labels in a raid on an illegal factory near Bangkok’s Pratunam intersection. The products were valued at 200,000 baht. The FDA reported the production of illegal healthcare products, which led police to Tofu Skincare based in the capitol’s Ratchathewi district.
The confiscated goods included 58 drugs, 14 cosmetics and 47 dietary supplements, and the company stands charged with violating the Medicine Act, Herbal Products Act, Cosmetic Act and Food Act.
The FDA’s deputy secretary-general says the products came from different countries and were sold under different brands, such as Moh Yan Hee cream, which contained the illegal substance Hyrodquinone, while other products sold under the names of Idol Slim Apple, Idol Slim Coffee, Idol Slim Plus and Idol Berry Plus carried the dangerous chemical Sibutramine. They were also being sold under false labels. He says the investigation will continue.
“Moh Yan Hee cream was first seized in 2018, but the production of this product and other hazardous products has not stopped.”
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Fake COVID testing kits seized from 77 countries in international trafficking crackdown
Police have seized 17,000 fake COVID-19 testing kits discovered in raids against illicit food and drink products across dozens of countries, Interpol said Wednesday.
Officials seized $40 million (34.5 million euros) worth of fake or substandard products in 77 countries, and arrested 407 people in the operation, carried out from December 2019 to June 2020.
The products included contaminated dairy products, meat from illegally slaughtered animals and food products falsely labelled as medicinal cures, said Interpol, based in the southeastern French city of Lyon.
But police also intercepted thousands of fake medical products as countries worldwide rushed to secure supplies while locking down to curtail the coronavirus pandemic.
“As countries around the world continue their efforts to contain COVID-19, the criminal networks distributing these potentially dangerous products show only their determination to make a profit,” the agency’s secretary general Jurgen Stock said in a statement.
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Over P107M worth of smuggled cigarettes seized at Port of Davao
MANILA, Philippines — Smuggled cigarettes amounting to more than P107 million were seized at the Port of Davao, the Bureau of Customs (BOC) reported Tuesday.
In coordination with authorities from the BOC Intelligence Group (IG) and Enforcement Group, the BOC-Port of Davao seized four 40-footer containers that contained illegally imported cigarettes valued at Php 107,414,676.74.
Citing intelligence reports, BOC said the first two containers arrived at the Davao International Container Terminal (DICT) on July 10 and were said to contain 2,180 boxes of brand-new tissue papers.
However, subsequent information received from IG and EG led to the issuance of a Pre-Lodgment Control Order (PLCO) after discovering that no goods declaration was lodged by the consignee, Golden Aark Enterprises, and that there could be possible misdeclaration of the said commodity, BOC said.
The containers were subsequently inspected and yielded misdeclaration of goods as 1,205 boxes Astro Branded Cigarettes and 942 boxes of YS filter cigarettes were discovered and seized on July 14.
Lear More230 kg gold smuggled through diplomatic channel
Investigations by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) have revealed that the Swapna-Sarith-Faisal gang had smuggled 230 kg of gold from Dubai through the diplomatic channel.
Of this, only one consignment of 30kg was intercepted, while the investigators are in pursuit of the rest.
In fact, before the clandestine plan was put into operation, the gang had sent a dummy bag in the name of the UAE consulate to see that everything worked smoothly.
The Dubai mastermind, Faisal Fareed, is already in the custody of the Dubai Police and is expected to be handed over to India any time soon.
The investigators have inspected the flat of the attache at the UAE consulate, who has returned to his country, in search of clues. They are trying to ascertain if the suspects had visited the house and have checked the visitor’s register there.
The investigators are also looking at the role of ground handling agencies at the airports in abetting the crime. An ex-employee of Air India Sats, in charge of ground handling, claimed that all the smugglers, with assistance from higher authorities, had planted pliable people in sensitive departments in the airport so that they could smoothly manage the racket.
https://www.freepressjournal.in/india/230-kg-gold-smuggled-through-diplomatic-channel
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