Rs 2.4-crore foreign cigarettes seized, two held for smuggling
MUMBAI: The Directorate Revenue of Intelligence (DRI) has busted a smuggling racket at Manish Market and Musafirkhana at Masjid Bunder in south Mumbai and seized foreign cigarettes worth around Rs 2.4 crore. Following raids at six places, including two houses, the DRI also arrested two racketeers, and seized Rs 2.3 crore from them.
Sources said that following a tip-off, when the DRI conducted raids at two shops and two godowns, it found 7,000 cartons of foreign cigarettes, such as Benson & Hedges, L&M, Marlboro, 555 and Gudang Garam that did not have the statutory health warning.
“These cigarettes were meant for countries that do not requi re statutory warnings. So the smugglers face charges under the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Packaging and Labelling) Amendment Rules, 2014 also,” an officer said. The arrrested men allegedly told investigators that the seized monney was to meant to be sent to Dubai through Hawala.
Two dozen arrested in biggest new york counterfeit cosmetics haul to date
Two dozen people have been detained in connection to what is said to be the largest counterfeit cosmetics arrest in history, in what would have been an estimated $450 million retail price.
A total of 22 people have been charged in the case, whom officials say used 40-foot shipping containers to smuggle in items such as fake Chanel perfume that have been manufactured in China.
The items were said to have been primarily smuggled in via the Port of New York/New Jersey. 11 other suspects were arrested via a separate warrant.
Speaking in a statement, HSI Special Agent-in-Charge Angel Melendez stated, “This investigation exposed the global nature of intellectual property crimes, allegedly being executed by those arrested today. Counterfeit goods manufactured and smuggled from China with a suggested value close to half a billion dollars, were intended to make its way into U.S. markets and into the hands of unsuspecting consumers.
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Nottingham man jailed for two years for role in £1m tobacco smuggling plot
A Nottingham man who was part of an 11-strong tobacco smuggling gang that attempted to flood the streets with millions of illegal cigarettes has been locked up.
Terrence Knight, 53, of Northumberland Close, St Ann’s, was jailed for two years at Nottingham Crown Court on Friday (August 17) for intent to defraud. The gang attempted to evade more than £1 million in unpaid duty.
Officers from Revenue and Customs (HMRC) seized nearly five million cigarettes, 329kg of hand-rolling tobacco and in excess of £50,000 cash across the Midlands and Yorkshire, during a ten-month period from May 2015.
Almost £18,000 of that money found was stashed inside a kitchen bin and other piles of cash were hidden under stairs, car seats and around the homes of several gang members.
https://www.nottinghampost.com/news/nottingham-news/nottingham-man-jailed-two-years-1912222
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Gang jailed for smuggling millions of cigarettes into UK
Members of a gang which smuggled almost five million cigarettes and 329kg of tobacco into the UK without paying tax of more than £1.2million have been jailed today.
The 11 defendants went to locations around Nottingham, Leicester, Bolton and Doncaster to store and deliver foreign cigarettes where tax had not been paid.
Between May 2015 and October 2016, the defendants were in possession of 4,716,340 untaxed cigarettes and 329kg of untaxed tobacco.
As well as avoiding £1,230,761 in tax, the group were found to have almost £58,000 in cash when they were arrested.
Michelle Rhodes, from the CPS, said “These defendants ran a complicated operation to bring cigarettes into the country, avoiding tax, before selling them on for personal gain.
https://www.cps.gov.uk/cps/news/gang-jailed-smuggling-millions-cigarettes-uk
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Nearly a dozen suspected traffickers charged with smuggling $450 million of fake Chinese goods to US
Police in New York have arrested 22 people on suspicion of being involved in a plot to smuggle counterfeit goods worth $450 million into the US from China.
The suspects stand accused of smuggling Chinese-manufactured fake luxury items into the country, such as Louis Vuitton and Tory Burch handbags, Michael Kors wallets, Hermes belts and Chanel perfume, among other products.
Prosecutors argue the Chinese gang members smuggled the items in large shipping containers disguised as legitimate products and brought them into the country via seaports in New York and New Jersey.
In a bid to avoid the attention of law enforcement authorities, the gang members are said to have falsified customs documents and used “burner” cell phone numbers and email accounts to conceal their true identities and cover their tracks.
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Tobacco smuggling bust finds $1 million in Templestowe home
Nearly $1 million in cash was seized at a home in Melbourne’s north east after a police bust of an alleged tobacco smuggling ring.
Four men and two women, all Chinese nationals, were arrested in Templestowe on Monday night after a raid by Australian Federal Police and the Australian Border Force.
Police believe the group imported 2.5 million cigarettes, evading duty and excise taxes of $1.75 million and are part of a syndicate which has laundered at least $11 million over the past six months.
The operation uncovered the cash after getting intelligence from Chinese authorities. The investigation began earlier this year when the border force identified an illegal tobacco importing network.
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US Charges 22 Chinese Importers with Smuggling Counterfeit Goods into US
A federal court in New York has charged 22 Chinese importers with smuggling nearly half-a-billion dollars in counterfeit goods into the United States from China.
The fake products include such popular luxury items as Louis Vuitton bags, Michael Kors wallets, and Chanel perfume. Twenty-one of the defendants were arrested Thursday.
U.S. attorneys say the suspects allegedly smuggled the China-made counterfeit goods in large shipping containers disguised as legitimate products and brought them into ports in New York and New Jersey.
The defendants apparently intended to sell the fake products across the United States with a street value of nearly $500 million.
Along with smuggling and trafficking in counterfeit goods, the suspects are also charged with money laundering and immigration fraud.
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Gold Worth Rs. 47 Lakh Found Hidden Under Seat In Air India Plane
MUMBAI: Gold bars worth over Rs. 47 lakh were recovered today from under a seat of an Air India (AI) flight at the Mumbai international airport, a Customs official said.
Acting on a tip-off, the Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) of the Customs searched the flight after it arrived from Abu Dhabi this morning, the official said.
“During their search, 15 gold bars weighing 1.74 kg, were found concealed in a hollow pipe and placed under a seat,” he said.
The total value of the seized gold is around Rs. 47,69,330 the official said.
“The unclaimed gold bars were seized under reasonable belief that they were smuggled into India without paying the Customs duty and in contravention of the provisions of the Customs Act,” he said, adding that further investigation was on.
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THE National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), on Thursday, destroyed fake, expired, substandard and unwholesome products worth N464 million seized in the North East.
Speaking at the site of the destruction in Gombe, Prof Christiana Adeyeye, the Director-General, NAFDAC, said the products were seized from manufacturers, importers and distributors.
Adeyeye, who was represented by Alhaji Sabo Adamu, North East zonal coordinator of the agency said, “The estimated street value of the products is N464.7 million. “The products include drugs such as antibiotics, antihypertensive and herbal remedies.
“Food such as spaghetti, vegetable oil, nonalcoholic beverages; cosmetics such as creams, pomade and chemicals such as fake insecticide”, she said.
https://www.tribuneonlineng.com/160260/
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75kg gold seized in Benapole
Members of Border Guard Bangladesh in separate raids seized 635 pieces of gold bars, weighing around 75kg, and arrested three suspected smugglers, including a woman, from bordering Narkelbaria and Shikri areas yesterday.
The arrestees are Mohiuddin, 35, of Shikarpur village, Md Israfil, 45, of Bhaberber village, and Safura Khatun, 52, of Daulatpur village.
The value of the seized gold was estimated at around Tk 36 crore, said Lt Col Ariful Hoque, commanding officer of 49 BGB Battalion. It is the biggest gold smuggling attempt in Benapole border area, he added.
The BGB official said acting on a tip-off, a BGB team, led by Havildar Mukul Hossain Pramanik of Shikarpur camp, raided Narkelbaria area and arrested Mohiuddin along with 624 gold bars, weighing over 72.75 kg, around 3:30am.
https://www.thedailystar.net/news/country/gold-smuggler-held-624-gold-bars-jessore-1618711
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