Over 28 lakh counterfeit match boxes of ITC’s AIM brand seized
CHENNAI, AUGUST 9 : Over 28 lakh counterfeit match boxes of AIM brand belonging to ITC Ltd were seized from various manufacturing units located in Kovilpatti and Sattur in Tamil Nadu. The raid and seizure was conducted on the orders of the Madras High Court in a suit filed by ITC.
Multiple raids were conducted on ‘unscrupulous’ parties in both locations, manufacturing, selling and transporting counterfeits of AIM matches.
In July 2018, ITC filed a suit before the Madras High Court against ten parties, both manufacturers and transporters, who were involved in the racket. The matches being manufactured by these parties were identical to ITC’s match boxes with minor variations such as ‘ATM’ or ‘AJM’ written in place of the original – AIM, a release from ITC said.
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Hundreds of Thousands of Fake Nike Air Jordans Smuggled Into New York, New Jersey: Prosecutors
A group that allegedly smuggled more than 300,000 pairs of fake Nike Air Jordan sneakers into New York and New Jersey was broken up Tuesday by Homeland Security Investigations and NYPD detectives.
More than 42 containers carrying the famed sneakers traveled from factories in China through Port Newark between January 2016 and July 2018.
Air Jordan sneakers can fetch anywhere from hundreds to thousands of dollars, depending on the model. Many of the Nike knock-offs mirrored real Air Jordans that currently sell for around $190 a pair, HSI officials said. Federal prosecutors said the counterfeiting scheme cost Nike at least $73 million.
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Polish police arrest five after seizing 39 million cigarettes during Europol-backed operation
Police in Poland have seized over 39 million cigarettes and arrested five suspects in a major operation backed by Europol.
Officers from the Gdańsk Bureau of the Polish Central Bureau of Investigation (CBŚP) and the Gdańsk Prosecutor’s office began investigating the transnational cigarette smuggling network in 2015.
Since then, authorities in Poland have been sharing intelligence on the gang with Europol, as well as British and Italian law enforcement agencies.
This cooperation resulted in the discovery of some 14 million cigarettes that were intended for the black market in the Italian town of Caserta in 2015, followed by the seizure of another 13 million cigarettes in Padua, and a further 12 million in Trieste, both also in Italy.
The gang, which was reported to have been made up of Poles, Ukrainians, Lithuanians, Britons, Belgians, Greeks and Italians, avoided paying excise duty on legally-made cigarettes, allowing them to make large profits by selling them on the black market in Europe tax free.
Lear MoreCustoms seizes P10-B counterfeit goods, smuggled rice
The Bureau of Customs (BOC) has seized in five warehouses in Quezon City over P10 billion worth of fake cigarette tax stamps, counterfeit bags and smuggled rice believed to have been spirited out of the country’s ports with the help of the agency’s erring personnel.
Following a tip from an informant, the BOC raided on Thursday the five warehouses inside the PTFC compound at the corner of Marvex Drive and A. Bonifacio Avenue.
Customs agents found in three warehouses the fake cigarette tax stamps amounting to P8.5 billion and the equipment for cigarette-making and sacks of rice. Used clothing, fertilizers and other agricultural chemicals amounting to P2 billion were kept in the two other warehouses, owned by On Time Trading.
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1017535/customs-seizes-p10-b-counterfeit-goods-smuggled-rice
Lear MoreSmuggled $577K was laced with fake cash to buy BVI boat, court hears
The 72-year-old visitor recently held at the TB Lettsome International Airport with more than half-million dollars in real and counterfeit cash claimed to be innocent when made his first appearance in the Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday, July 31.
Ecuador native Arturo Bansantes is charged with engagement in smuggling, failing to declare monies to Customs, and possession of proceeds of criminal conduct. He pleaded not guilty to all three offences.
Bansantes, who said he is a pig farmer and shoe store owner, claims the cash was to purchase a vessel in the territory. According to the Crown, Bansantes arrived in the territory on July 25 and was due to depart a day later. He reportedly was carrying a laptop bag and two blue suitcases with one change of clothing.
http://bvinews.com/new/smuggled-577k-was-laced-with-fake-cash-to-buy-bvi-boat-court-hears/
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NAFDAC destroys counterfeit products worth N650m in Kaduna
As part of its efforts towards eradicating fake drugs in the society, the National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control, (NAFDAC) has destroyed goods worth N650 million at its Buruku dumpsite in Kaduna.
Speaking to newsmen shortly after the exercise in Kaduna Thursday, the Director General of NAFDAC, Prof. Christian Mojisola Adeyeye, said the exercise was to get rid of spurious NAFDAC regulated products from circulation in Nigeria.
According to Prof Adeyeye, “The products being destroyed today are made of substandard and falsely labelled medicines, unwholesome foods products, cosmetics and other counterfeited products. “Drug counterfeiting is an act of economic sabotage and also terrorism against public health.”
While commending the Federal Government over the ban on the use codeine syrup, the D.G. who was represented by the Acting Director, North-West Zone, Pharm. Gimba Dauda said, “the decision is to ensuring the reduction in the abuse of the substance.
http://dailypost.ng/2018/07/26/nafdac-destroys-counterfeit-products-worth-n650m-kaduna/
Lear More2 interstate tobacco smugglers held with 150kg contraband
Coimbatore: The food safety department detained two men, who were smuggling 150kg of banned tobacco products from Bengaluru, at Walayar checkpost on Wednesday.
The catch assumes significance as the department had been catching stashes of banned chewable tobacco products from godowns across the district, but it is yet to zero in on how these banned products manufactured outside the state come into the City
On Wednesday, officials at Walayar checkpost stopped a Kerala-registered Maruti Ertiga and found packets of banned tobacco products. They detained Vibin, 30, and Riyaz, 33, both from Ernakulam. Subsequently, the checkpost officials informed the rural police and the food safety department.
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Ficci Cascade constitutes Think Tank
New Delhi: FICCI’s dedicated vertical, Committee Against Smuggling and Counterfeiting Activities Destroying the Economy [CASCADE] has constituted a think tank which will advise, direct and provide necessary inputs in formulating a strong & effective future course of action to eliminate the menace of illicit trade. With the ever changing scenario of technology, trade policies and development of the law on the subject, the constitution of a Think Tank to guide and suggest inputs in mitigating this challenges arising out of illicit trade practices is opportune.
The Think tank comprises Ajay Shankar, Former Secretary, Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP),Govt of India; Anil Sinha, Former Director, Central Bureau of Investigation; Hem Kumar Pande , Former Secretary, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution; Kameswari Subramanian, International Expert, Customs Law, Procedures & Trade Facilitation; Justice Manmohan Sarin, Former Lokayukta, NCT of Delhi, Chief Justice, High Court of Jammu & Kashmir, Judge, High Court of Delhi; Najib Shah, Former Chairman, Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs; Narendra K Sabharwal, Chairman, FICCI IP Committee & Former Deputy Director General, WIPO; Neeraj Kumar, Former Commissioner, Delhi Police; P K Malhotra. Former Secretary Law, Ministry of Law and Justice; Sanjeev Tripathi, Former Chief, Research and Analysis Wing (RAW); Vikram Srivastava, Former Director General, Central Reserve Police Force and Anil Rajput, Chairman, FICCI CASCADE.
http://www.millenniumpost.in/business/ficci-cascade-constitutes-think-tank-311237
Lear MoreFicci Cascade Forms 12-Member Think Tank To Fight Illicit Trade
Industry chamber Ficci’s anti-smuggling and anti-counterfeiting arm, Ficci CASCADE today said it has roped in ex-DIPP secretary Ajay Shankar and former CBI director Anil Sinha, among others, to form a think tank as part of efforts to curb illicit trade practices.
Ficci CASCADE (Committee Against Smuggling and Counterfeiting Activities Destroying the Economy) said in a statement that it has constituted a think tank which will advise and provide necessary inputs in formulating a strong and effective future course of action to eliminate the menace of illicit trade.
The other members of the think tank include Hem Kumar Pande, former secretary in ministry of consumer affairs, food and public distribution; Justice Manmohan Sarin, former Lokayukta, NCT of Delhi and Najib Shah, ex-chairman, Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs.
Ex-Delhi Police Commissioner Neeraj Kumar; former Research and Analysis Wing chief Sanjeev Tripathi; ex-Director General, CRPF Vikram Srivastava, international expert Kameswari Subramanian and Anil Rajput, Chairman, Ficci CASCADE are also members of the think tank, the statement added.
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Malaysian woman caught for smuggling over 200 cartons of contraband cigarettes via Tuas Checkpoint
SINGAPORE – The authorities seized a total of 227 cartons and 1,366 packets of contraband cigarettes on Monday afternoon (July 16) at Tuas Checkpoint.
In a Facebook post on Wednesday morning, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) said that officers had found the duty-unpaid cigarettes stashed away in various compartments of a Malaysia-registered car at about 1.25pm.
From the pictures ICA posted, the cigarettes were concealed in places such as the inside of the car’s modified dashboard, front bumper, and rear fender.
The car was driven by a 42-year-old Malaysian woman. The case has been handed over to Singapore Customs.
Just last Friday, the ICA had seized around $19,200 worth of duty-unpaid cigarettes that had been concealed using similar methods, also involving a Malaysian driver and a Malaysia-registered car.
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