EPA, Customs Seize More than 10,000 Illegal Items at SoCal Ports.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced Tuesday enforcement actions involving $530,199 in fines and over 10,000 engines and vehicles imported into the United States. These actions are the result of on-going joint operations between EPA and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach to identify foreign-made engines and vehicles that lack proper emission controls, including ATVs, motorcycles, and construction equipment. “Oversight of foreign-made engines imported through southern California ports is a priority,” said EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator Mike Stoker. “The enforcement cases announced (Tuesday) prevented hundreds of thousands of pounds of harmful air pollutants from being emitted into our air. We will continue to look work with CBP to ensure that items coming into the U.S. meet federal emissions requirements.” Under the joint initiative, EPA found companies imported engines and vehicles without certification or proper emissions controls. Engines operating without adequate controls emit excess carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, and nitrogen oxides, which can cause respiratory illnesses, aggravate asthma, and lead to the formation of ground level ozone. Particular cases involved the following companies:
https://scvnews.com/2019/03/14/epa-customs-seize-more-than-10000-illegal-items-at-socal-ports/
Lear MoreBengaluru: Gold worth Rs 37 lakh smuggled in door locks, underware.
BENGALURU: Gold smugglers often adopt innovative ways to deceive customs sleuths at Kempegowda International Airport. On Tuesday, two attempts to smuggle in 1.1kg of gold worth over lakh — one where the yellow metal was crafted as components of door locks and the other where it was carried in paste form inside a passenger’s underwear — were foiled at KIA.
Sources with the Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) of Bangalore customs said their team carried out profiling of passengers who disembarked from Gulf Air flight GF 282 (Bahrain to Bengaluru) that landed at KIA at 3.55am.
Following suspicion, customs officials intercepted a male passenger who was later identified as a 50-year-old from Uttar Pradesh. He had travelled from Saudi Arabia. After questioning him, the team inspected his check-in luggage to find door locks. On dismantling them, they found six gold biscuits worth Rs 18. 7 lakh. The suspect carried the gold inside the locks, assuming customs officials would clear them as hardware items as some components were painted in golden colour.
Lear MoreBengaluru: Gold worth Rs 37 lakh smuggled in door locks, underware.
BENGALURU: Gold smugglers often adopt innovative ways to deceive customs sleuths at Kempegowda International Airport. On Tuesday, two attempts to smuggle in 1.1kg of gold worth over lakh — one where the yellow metal was crafted as components of door locks and the other where it was carried in paste form inside a passenger’s underwear — were foiled at KIA. Sources with the Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) of Bangalore customs said their team carried out profiling of passengers who disembarked from Gulf Air flight GF 282 (Bahrain to Bengaluru) that landed at KIA at 3.55am. Following suspicion, customs officials intercepted a male passenger who was later identified as a 50-year-old from Uttar Pradesh. He had travelled from Saudi Arabia. After questioning him, the team inspected his check-in luggage to find door locks. On dismantling them, they found six gold biscuits worth Rs 18. 7 lakh. The suspect carried the gold inside the locks, assuming customs officials would clear them as hardware items as some components were painted in golden colour.
Lear MoreIndia: towards greater accountability of intermediaries?
Indian authorities are considering amending the Information Technology Act 2000. Article 79 deals with the exemption of intermediaries from liability, imposing on them an obligation of diligence as to the lawfulness of the contents. In the course of 2018, the government informed the elected officials of its determination to modify the legal framework in the sense of greater accountability of intermediaries.
These rules, called Information Technology Intermediaries Guidelines (Amendment) Rules, 2018, would require intermediaries with more than 5 million users in India to have a registered subsidiary in India. It goes without saying that this provision is intended to facilitate the liability of the intermediary.
The bill also aims to require intermediaries to prohibit their users from publishing content or promoting products that are hazardous to health, specifically targeting tobacco, alcohol, and cosmetics. Furthermore, the platforms themselves would have the obligation to deploy automated tools to proactively identify and delete or disable illegal content.
Finally, among the new provisions envisaged, it is also necessary to note the requirement, formulated by the Indian Government, of greater cooperation in the suppression of the illicit contents and the identification of the authors of such contents.
https://www.iptwins.com/en/2019/02/27/india-towards-greater-accountability-of-intermediaries/
Lear More
Three men arrested, smuggled cigarettes, tobacco worth RM1.8m seized.
Police arrested three men and seized smuggled cigarettes and tobacco, worth RM1.8 million, in an operation at Seri Kembangan here last Thursday.
Bukit Aman Internal Security and Public Order director Datuk Seri Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani, in a statement today, said the suspects were aged between 38 and 50.
The seized items comprised 190 boxes of cigarettes with the brand name, League, and 40 boxes of raw tobacco, each weighing 22kg, on which tax had not been paid, he said.
He said the police also seized two lorries and a Toyota Hilux during the operation.
Acryl Sani said the contraband was believed to have been smuggled from a neighbouring country by land for markets in the Klang Valley and southern part of the peninsula. — Bernama
Lear More
Three men arrested, smuggled cigarettes, tobacco worth RM1.8m seized.
Police arrested three men and seized smuggled cigarettes and tobacco, worth RM1.8 million, in an operation at Seri Kembangan here last Thursday. Bukit Aman Internal Security and Public Order director Datuk Seri Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani, in a statement today, said the suspects were aged between 38 and 50. The seized items comprised 190 boxes of cigarettes with the brand name, League, and 40 boxes of raw tobacco, each weighing 22kg, on which tax had not been paid, he said. He said the police also seized two lorries and a Toyota Hilux during the operation. Acryl Sani said the contraband was believed to have been smuggled from a neighbouring country by land for markets in the Klang Valley and southern part of the peninsula. — Bernama
Lear MoreMan jailed for trying to smuggle millions of cigarettes into Australia.
A Malaysian man has been sentenced to five years in prison for an attempt to smuggle more than six million cigarettes into Australia, in alleged duty evasion of more than $4 million. Australian Border Force said the cigarettes, which originated from Malaysia, were concealed within sophisticated cover loads. The smugglers were caught on 10 August 2017, when three Malaysian nationals were found in two factories unpacking the tobacco. All three were subsequently arrested and charged under the Customs Act 1901, with possession of tobacco products, knowing that the goods were imported with the intention of defrauding revenue. They were convicted and sentenced to between 16–24 months imprisonment for their involvement in the importations.
Lear MoreUP minister extends support to industry to tackle smuggling, counterfeiting issues .
Lucknow, Feb 22 () Uttar Pradesh Minister Brijesh Pathak Friday extended his support and cooperation to the industry’s efforts to curb smuggling and counterfeiting activities.
Pathak, who holds portfolios of justice, legislative, conventional energy sources and political pension, urged the industry to come out with a set of recommendations, which will be ‘duly considered while designing the future policies.’ “I congratulate this initiative to curb the menace of smuggling and counterfeiting activities, which is destroying economy, and extend my support in working collaboratively with the industry body,” he said while addressing a seminar organised by FICCI CASCADE (Committee Against Smuggling and Counterfeiting Activities Destroying the Economy) here. “If adequate and necessary support from the general public is received, the government will be better equipped to fight the hazards of smuggling and counterfeiting and make new law on the subject,” he said.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/up-minister-extends-support-to-industry-to-tackle-smuggling-counterfeiting-issues/articleshow/68115396.cms
30,000 fake items worth Dh65,810 seized in UAE.
More than 30,000 pieces of counterfeit goods worth Dh65,810 were seized by the Sharjah Economic Development Department (SEDD). The confiscated fake items included 24,634 air bag covers, 5,508 emblems for automobile companies and 44 front headers for cars. The crackdown comes following a slew of complaints made by trademark owners and as part of the department’s efforts to monitor the market while confronting all negative phenomena as well as violations. Sultan Abdullah bin Hadda Al Suwaidi, SEDD chairman, said that the department is committed to protect the market in the emirate from harmful goods and prevent circulation of counterfeits. Commercial frauds to achieve material gains at the cost of endangering people’s safety will not be tolerated at all, he pointed out. The department will carry out more campaigns to banish all traders who try to make quick and illegal profits so people don’t buy unsafe products, he said.
https://www.khaleejtimes.com/news/crime-and-courts/30000-fake-items-worth-dh65810-seized-in-uae
Lear MoreBOC destroys P4.4-million smuggled cigarettes.
The Bureau of Customs (BOC) here destroyed Saturday over P4.4 million worth of tobacco products which were recently confiscated from a commercial vessel that arrived here from Jolo, Sulu.
BOC Zamboanga City District Collector Segundo Z. Barte, Jr. said Friday BOC personnel partially destroyed the 142 cases of imported cigarettes worth P4,409,000 million.
“I ordered our police and some BOC personnel to soaked last Friday all the confiscated imported cigar and cigarettes products in used diesel oil and it is now considered pre-condemned. The official condemnation shall follow after receipt of the approval from BOC Manila,” Barte said.
Barte ordered the pre-condemnation of the seized contraband after BOC issued a Warrant of Seizure and Detention for violation of Executive Order No. 245, titled Amended Rules and Regulations Governing the Exportation and Importation of Leaf Tobacco and Tobacco Products and Section 117 of RA 10863 in relation to Section 1113 par. (f) and (g) of CMTA.
https://news.mb.com.ph/2019/02/16/boc-destroys-p4-4-million-smuggled-cigarettes/
Lear More