Smuggling, piracy hindering India’s manufacturing growth: Ficci
NEW DELHI: Widespread smuggling, counterfeiting and piracy can affect India’s goal of becoming a manufacturing hub of the world, industry body Ficci today said.
The market for contraband, smuggled and counterfeit goods is thriving in India and is today one of the biggest challenges faced by the domestic industry, it said in a statement.
“India today has the potential to become a global manufacturing hub. However, widespread smuggling, counterfeiting and piracy can act as a dampener in achieving this goal,” the chamber said. It said according to a CASCADE (Committee against Smuggling and Counterfeiting Destroying the Economy) study, supply of illicit goods have increased 44.4 per cent between 2012 and 2014 in sectors such as tobacco, alcoholic beverages, auto components, computer hardware and FMCG.
Lear MoreMan held with gold worth Rs 72 lakh at IGI airport
NEW DELHI: A man has been arrested by the customs officials at international airport here for allegedly trying to smuggle into the country gold valuing about Rs 72 lakh.
The accused was intercepted after his arrival from Dubai on Sunday. “His baggage search resulted in recovery of gold weighing 2.46 kg in the form of seven pieces, found concealed in a wallet and cigarette box kept in a stroller trolley bag, having market value of Rs 71.88 lakh,” a press release issued today by the customs said.
The passenger, aged 40 years, has been arrested and the gold seized, it said.
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Fake designer goods worth £250k seized at market in Ingoldmells
Thousands of fake goods worth a staggering £250k have been seized at a market in Ingoldmells.
Fake designer clothes and bogus perfume were among the counterfeit haul seized at Glen Park Market earlier today. Adidas trainers, Superdry jackets, The North Face coats, Hermes bags, Chanel perfumes and watches were also among goods confiscated in a raid by Lincolnshire Trading Standards, Lincolnshire Police and the Anti-Counterfeiting Group and its members working in partnership with the market management.
Emma Milligan, principal trading standards officer at Lincolnshire County Council, commented: “By working together with the market management and the local neighbourhood policing teams to tackle these sellers, we are sending out a strong message that this behaviour will not be tolerated.”
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Chinese online retailer selling luxury goods reportedly arrested on smuggling charges
The founder of an online Chinese luxury retailer has been arrested after being charged with smuggling 438 million yuan ($65.67 million) worth of goods into the country, the official China Daily reported on Monday, citing the customs authority.
Ji Wenhong, the founder of Xiu.com, an online e-commerce website that specializes in imported luxury goods, was captured in Indonesia and returned to China, where he will face trial, the newspaper said.
Ji is accused of being the head of a smuggling operation in which luxury clothing items purchased in Europe and the United States were carried into China via Hong Kong and made to look like personal possessions in order to avoid duties.
https://www.cnbc.com/2017/08/20/china-online-retailer-arrested-on-smuggling-charges-says-report.html
Lear MoreNigeria: Govt Urged to Step Up Fight Against Counterfeiting
The federal government has been urged to intensify its effort in the fight against the influx of counterfeit products in the country.
This was even as investors within and outside Nigeria has expressed displeasure over the huge losses being incurred on a daily basis due to fake manufacturers, despite government commitment to curb their menace.
http://allafrica.com/stories/201506190687.html
STF arrests gang member involved in liquor smuggling
An active member of an interstate gang involved in smuggling of liquor from Punjab was arrested by the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) from Firozabad district.
Balkaran Singh was arrested on a tip off in Firozabad yesterday after a truck, on which liquor worth about Rs 22 lakh was being brought from Punjab was stopped by the policemen, STF said.
During interrogation Singh told STF that he had brought the consignment of liquor from Bhatinda, Punjab and had to deliver it in Shikobhad to two persons.
http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-stf-arrests-gang-member-involved-in-liquor-smuggling-2535882
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Customs seizes 339 vehicles, smuggled goods worth N4.1bn in Ogun
Operatives of Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) say about 339 smuggled vehicles worth N776 million were confiscated by Ogun State Area Command of Customs between January and August this year, just as it generates over N4.1 billion as import and excise duties within the same period.
Ogun State Area Command of Customs also impounded a truck of a popular cement manufacturer (name withheld) which was used by its driver to smuggle 3000 cartons of frozen turkey with duty paid value of N67.5 million in addition to the seized 11 packs of coconut-sized cannabis sativa, popularly known as Indian Hemp.
http://www.businessdayonline.com/customs-seizes-339-vehicles-smuggled-goods-worth-n4-1bn-ogun/
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Customs arrests two men for smuggling gold worth rs 27 lakh
Two men have been arrested by the customs for allegedly trying to smuggle into the country gold valuing about Rs 27 lakh at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) here.
The accused were intercepted by the customs officials after their arrival from Abu Dhabi on Wednesday.
“Detailed examination of their baggage and their personal search resulted in recovery of 933.12 gms gold having market value of Rs 27.26 lakh, in the form of eight gold biscuits of 116.64 gm each,” a press release issued today by the customs said.
The gold has been seized and the passengers have been arrested, it said.
Lear MoreWatch out for fake Samsung phones
Samsung has asked users to be wary of counterfeit devices with the firm’s branding.”If the purchase price is too good to be true, then it probably is. For example, if a Samsung Galaxy smartphone is found on sale at a much reduced price, we urge consumers to check with our customer care centresbefore purchasing the device, or else they may be left with a fake product,” said Richard Chetty, Service Director at Samsung Electronics South Africa.
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Lorry driver caught smuggling cigarettes jailed
A lorry driver caught smuggling eight million cigarettes into the UK has been jailed for two and half years. 40 year old Artur Staniszczak tried to evade more than £2 million in excise duty and was arrested in Dover Eastern Docks in July.
The arrest came after a search of the lorry he was driving revealed 7.9 million Richmond Blue branded cigarettes, instead of the 33 pallets of paper goods shown on the import documents.
Staniszczak pleaded guilty to evading excise duty at Maidstone Crown Court on 15th August 2017.
He was immediately jailed for two and a half years, of which 15 months must be served in custody.
Upon sentencing, His Honour Judge Carey, said: “You acted out of character by doing something criminal. Your role, in my judgement, was clearly a significant role.”
http://www.itv.com/news/meridian/update/2017-08-17/lorry-driver-caught-smuggling-cigarettes-jailed/
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