Countering counterfeiting
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a bid to generate awareness about the growing menace of counterfeiting and smuggling, the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) is organising a workshop on ‘Combating smuggling, counterfeiting and piracy – an imperative to accelerate economic development’ on February 21 at 10 am at Hotel Vivanta by Taj.
Agriculture Minister V S Sunil Kumar will inaugurate the programme. ‘’Counterfeiting and smuggling activities are highly pervasive across countries and sectors, representing a multi-billion-dollar industry globally that continues to grow and impact commerce and industry, government, economies and the society at large. According to recent estimates, by the year 2022, the value of counterfeit and pirated goods will be around $2.81 trillion. Hence, it is increasingly imperative to deliberate on this subject and find ways and means to mitigate this challenge,’’ FICCI said in a statement.
Lear MoreSeminar on Counterfeiting, Smuggling on Feb 21
Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 19 (UNI) A seminar on ‘Combating Counterfeiting and Smuggling — An Imperative to Accelerate Economic Development’ will be held here on February 21.
The objective of the event is to outline the impact of counterfeiting and smuggling.
Senior Government officials of Industries, Commerce, Police and Customs departments will take part in the discussions during the seminar.
The event is organised by FICCI’s Committee Against Smuggling and Counterfeiting Activities Destroying Economy (CASCADE).
Kerala Agriculture Minister Adv. V. S. Sunil kumar, Food and Civil Supplies Minister P Thilothaman will grace the occasion.
http://www.uniindia.com/seminar-on-counterfeiting-smuggling-on-feb-21/states/news/1142917.html
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60,000 cigarettes, 30 kilos of rolling tobacco seized after car stopped in Derry
A 48-year-old man has been arrested, and approximately 60,000 cigarettes and more than 30 kilograms of hand rolling tobacco (HRT), seized by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) today in Derry.
The man was interviewed by HMRC officers on Friday 16 February, after a car was stopped by the PSNI in the the city area and searched. A quantity of cigarettes and HRT were discovered inside the car. HMRC officers also carried out a follow up search at a domestic premises in Newry and seized more tobacco products. The suspected illicit tobacco products are worth an estimated £33,000 in lost duty and taxes. Steve Tracey, Assistant Director, Fraud Investigation Service, HMRC, said:
“Tobacco fraudsters undercut legitimate retailers depriving the UK of money needed to fund our public services. “HMRC will continue to target the supply of illicit tobacco, which costs the UK around £2.5 billion a year.
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Eight million cigarettes seized by customs at Belfast port
A major cigarette smuggling operation has been disrupted by customs officers at Belfast port.
Eight million cigarettes destined for sale in the UK were discovered hidden on a ship from Singapore on Saturday, the Border Force said.
The load was listed as bed linen with a delivery address in Co Down, but during the search officers discovered 40 pallets with a total of 800 boxes containing the cigarettes.
This is the biggest single seizure of cigarettes at the port in six years.
Border Force said had the smuggling attempt not been stopped it could have cost the Treasury approximately £2.6 million in unpaid duty and VAT.
John Oldham, assistant director for Border Force Northern Ireland, said: “By stopping the shipment Border Force has starved those responsible of the proceeds of their criminality.
Lear MoreUS : 43-Year-Old Chinese National Guilty Of Selling Fake Apple Devices Worth $1.1mn
A Chinese citizen, living in the United States was convicted of participating in an operation of counterfeit products from China that involved the sale of fake iPhones and iPads to the customers.
43-year-old Chinese national, Jianhua ‘Jeff Li, was pronounced guilty before US Court Judge Kevin McNulty, for trafficking counterfeit goods and labels and, smuggling goods into the United States on Friday.
The case has been underway since 2015 when Li was indicted and taken into custody. After inspecting into his bank transactions, it was found that Li received over $ 1.1 million from fake product sales. The amount of money Li’s partners and associates in the US or China received is not clear.
As per reports, between July 2009 – February 2014, Jianhua ‘Jeff Li, through his company “Dream Digitals” with his accomplices Andreina Becerra, Roberto Volpe, Rosario LaMarca and others smuggled more than 40,000 electronic devices and accessories into the USA. The smuggled iPhone and iPads were transferred with labels and packaging with fake Apple trademarks. Li will be sentenced on May 30.
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Woman jailed for smuggling 3m illicit cigarettes into UK
A London woman who smuggled three million illicit cigarettes into the UK using false identities has been jailed after an investigation by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC).
Xiou Yu Lin, 50, set up mailbox accounts in false names to receive packages, mainly from the Far East.
The parcels – from China, Hong Kong, Japan, India and the US – were wrongly declared as containing items such as ‘kids toys’ and ‘machinery parts’ to get through Customs and evade £904,865.73 in duty.
Southwark Crown Court heard Lin was involved in the scam between July 2011 and November 2016, illegally importing 3.2m cigarettes and 662.7kg of tobacco.
HMRC investigators caught Lin in Camden Town in November 2016 after she had picked up 6,000 Marlboro Gold cigarettes.
Lin, who admitted smuggling cigarettes and tobacco and several counts of using false documents, was sentenced to three years and four months in jail.
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SIA air steward arrested at Delhi Airport for smuggling gold
24, January 2018 l Today Online
SINGAPORE – A Singapore Airlines (SIA) cabin crew was arrested at New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport on Monday (Jan 22) for allegedly smuggling gold.
The air steward, who was among the crew operating SIA flight SQ402 from Singapore to New Delhi, was detained by customs officials after they searched him and recovered about 1.05kg of gold worth 3.1 million rupees (S$64,000), said an Indian Express report on Wednesday.
According to a senior official, the crew member had worn the gold items, a chain and bangles, underneath his uniform.
Early investigations also revealed that the crew member had intended to hand the gold over to an agent at a prominent hotel in Delhi. In return, he would be paid S$500.
https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/sia-air-steward-arrested-delhi-airport-smuggling-gold
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Foreign currency worth Rs1.72 crore seized at Mumbai airport, three arrested
Jordan shoes shipped from China.
Customs officials said the 400 pairs of various styles of Air Jordans arrived Dec. 15 in seven parcels shipped from China and were seized when they arrived at a facility near Washington Dulles International Airport. The officials said the shoes, if authentic, would have a suggested retail prize totaling $54,715.
CBP said officers examining the shipment suspected the sneakers were counterfeit and the agency’s Consumer Products and Mass Merchandising Centers for Excellence and Expertise verified with Nike that the shoes were not authentic. The shoes had been destined for an address in Alexandra, Va., investigators said.
“Customs and Border Protection will continue to work closely with our trade and consumer safety partners to seize counterfeit and inferior merchandise, especially those products that pose potential harm to American consumers, negatively impact legitimate business brand reputations, and potentially steal jobs from U.S. workers,” said Daniel Mattina, CBP acting port director for the Area Port of Washington, D.C.
https://www.upi.com/Customs-officers-seize-55000-worth-of-fake-Nike-Air-Jordans/8071515595327/
5. Foreign currency worth Rs1.72 crore seized at Mumbai airport, three arrested.
14, January 2018 l Hindustan Times
In a huge haul of foreign currency, three Mumbra residents were arrested on Saturday at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA) with US dollars worth Rs1.72 crore.
The trio was held before they could board a flight to Dubai. “This is the highest seizure at a single time since the past one year,” said a senior Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) officer of the Mumbai Customs. The accused have been identified as Moin Shaikh, Nizamuddin Shaikh and Anam Shaikh, all aged between 25 to 30. “The youngsters are carriers and were working for as less as Rs10,000 each for smuggling the currency,” the officer said.
Acting on a tip-off, the trio was intercepted after they checked-in at the airport. A search resulted in the recovery of US $ 2,75,000, equivalent to Rs1.72 crore. Out of the total currency recovered, Moin and Nizamuddin had kept $5,000 (Rs3.17 lakh) each in their pockets. The rest was kept in 10 tins of cosmetics and food products kept in their checked-in luggage. “The tins were resealed properly,” said the officer.
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Customs officers seize $55,000 worth of fake Nike Air Jordans
9, January 2018 l NewsX
Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) on Tuesday arrested fake currency note handler, Mataur Rehman who happens to be a resident of Malda. He is being brought to Delhi for detailed interrogation. Earlier, an investigation had suggested that there was a massive supply of counterfeit Indian currency from Malda villages in West Bengal. The DRI had earlier arrested a resident of Patna called Ram Prasad in connection with the racket from Old Delhi Railway Station. Both the accused have been arrested with Rs 2,000 denomination notes worth Rs 4 lakh.
Earlier, DRI had informed Reserve Bank of India (RBI) that two operators had been indulging in the selling of fake Indian counterfeit notes in and around Delhi. Since the demonetisation drive, during which new Rs 2000 notes were introduced, fake notes have been seized from many places across the country. Earlier, fake currency worth Rs 48,000 in the form of Rs 2000 notes were seized from Mathura. two people were also arrested in relation to the case. However, the supplier of fake notes had managed to flee from the spot before the raid by the police.
4. Customs officers seize $55,000 worth of fake Nike Air Jordans.
10, January 2018 l UPI
U.S. Customs and Border Protection said officers in Virginia seized nearly $55,000 worth of counterfeit Nike Air Jordan shoes shipped from China.
Customs officials said the 400 pairs of various styles of Air Jordans arrived Dec. 15 in seven parcels shipped from China and were seized when they arrived at a facility near Washington Dulles International Airport. The officials said the shoes, if authentic, would have a suggested retail prize totaling $54,715.
CBP said officers examining the shipment suspected the sneakers were counterfeit and the agency’s Consumer Products and Mass Merchandising Centers for Excellence and Expertise verified with Nike that the shoes were not authentic. The shoes had been destined for an address in Alexandra, Va., investigators said.
“Customs and Border Protection will continue to work closely with our trade and consumer safety partners to seize counterfeit and inferior merchandise, especially those products that pose potential harm to American consumers, negatively impact legitimate business brand reputations, and potentially steal jobs from U.S. workers,” said Daniel Mattina, CBP acting port director for the Area Port of Washington, D.C.
https://www.upi.com/Customs-officers-seize-55000-worth-of-fake-Nike-Air-Jordans/8071515595327/
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DRI arrests fake currency handler; seizes Rs 2000 notes from his possession
Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) on Tuesday arrested fake currency note handler, Mataur Rehman who happens to be a resident of Malda. He is being brought to Delhi for detailed interrogation. Earlier, an investigation had suggested that there was a massive supply of counterfeit Indian currency from Malda villages in West Bengal. The DRI had earlier arrested a resident of Patna called Ram Prasad in connection with the racket from Old Delhi Railway Station. Both the accused have been arrested with Rs 2,000 denomination notes worth Rs 4 lakh.
Earlier, DRI had informed Reserve Bank of India (RBI) that two operators had been indulging in the selling of fake Indian counterfeit notes in and around Delhi. Since the demonetisation drive, during which new Rs 2000 notes were introduced, fake notes have been seized from many places across the country. Earlier, fake currency worth Rs 48,000 in the form of Rs 2000 notes were seized from Mathura. two people were also arrested in relation to the case. However, the supplier of fake notes had managed to flee from the spot before the raid by the police.
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