Trader sentenced over 82,000 counterfeit tobacco haul
A trader who was caught selling counterfeit cigarettes and tobacco in East Street Market has been sentenced to a maximum of 12 months (suspended for two years). Mr Abdullah Al-Taaei (48) of Kennington, SE11 was due to stand trial on 6 July at the Inner London Crown Court but pleaded guilty before it commenced to multiple offences relating to the supply and possession of illegal tobacco. The court then adjourned sentencing until 29 July 2015 pending pre-sentence reports.The offences took place in March 2014 and concerned over 82,000 cigarettes as well as hand rolling tobacco. The court heard that following an anonymous tip-off Al-Taaei had been subject to surveillance by Southwark Council’s trading standard team over a three month period in early 2014.
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Capacity Building Programme for Police Officers on Socio-Economic Impact of Counterfeiting, Smuggling and Piracy
Intellectual property is a tool to incentivize innovation and creativity to strengthen the economic growth of a nation. Enforcement agencies, police and customs play a pivotal role in protection of consumer rights. There are adequate laws available but enforcement of the laws makes the role of police officers very important to fight against counterfeiters and smugglers. Therefore, to combat the socio-economic evils of counterfeiting and smuggling from the society, which are risky parasites to the economy and cause danger to the lives of individuals, FICCI CASCADE is organising a capacity building program to sensitize the police officers on the Socio-Economic Impact of Counterfeiting, Smuggling and Piracy at the Academy for Smart Policing, New Delhi on 27th July, 2018.
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Andrzej Krasnodebski of Poland jailed for smuggling nine million cigarettes in air filters into Dover
A lorry driver, who smuggled more than nine million cigarettes into the UK hidden inside air filter units, has been jailed for three years. HM Revenue and Customs estimates that Andrzej Krasnodebski evaded evading £2.5 million in duty. He was sentenced last Thursday at Maidstone Crown Court.
Krasnodebski, 45, was arrested by Border Force officers at Dover Eastern Docks on Tuesday June 13. A scan and search of the lorry’s trailer revealed it was packed with cigarettes.
Officers discovered that the load contained 1,056 cardboard boxes, each containing a bubble-wrapped air filter unit. When the casing was removed each unit had 9,000 cigarettes inside, with a total of 9,504,000 of a brand called Pect.
http://www.kentonline.co.uk/dover/news/trucker-jailed-for-smuggling-nine-128969/
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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Customs recovers N229.95m in revenue through anti-smuggling operations
Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) Federal Operations Unit, Zone A, Ikeja Lagos, has recovered a total sum of N229.50 million through its newly reviewed anti-smuggling operations in the Lagos area.
Mohammed Uba Garba, Customs Area controller of the command, told newsmen in Lagos yesterday that the command recorded this from June 13 to July 10, following the reviewed operational strategies of the unit that enabled the officers meet up with the current trend of smuggling.
According to Garba, the unit intercepted various contraband cargoes with a duty paid value (DPV) of N200, 995,641.8 million in one month of June 13 to July 10, and “the unit also recovered N28,954,448 million from duty payments and demand notices on general goods that tried to outsmart officers at seaports, airports and border stations.”
He said demand notices were raised on cargoes that were wrongly classified, under valued with the intention to short-changing the government of its revenue, saying, “This is another spectacular breakthrough in anti-smuggling operations recorded under my watch.”
https://www.businessdayonline.com/customs-recovers-n229-95m-revenue-anti-smuggling-operations/
Lear MoreNearly €275m of illegal cigarettes and tobacco seized by Revenue since 2012
More than a quarter of a billion euro worth of illegal cigarettes and tobacco has been seized by Revenue in the past five years, it has been revealed.
Figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act show €274,360,000 worth of the contraband products have been intercepted by tax officials between 2012 and 2016.
A Revenue Commissioners spokesman said it “remains vigilant in the face of changing patterns of smuggling activity”.
He added: “Revenue’s strategy is to target the supply of illicit tobacco products with a view to disrupting the supply chain, seizing the illicit products and prosecuting those responsible.
“While the comparative data suggests the problem is being contained, the illegal trade in tobacco products continues to be a serious problem and combating this illegal trade continues to be a high priority.”
http://www.irishmirror.ie/news/irish-news/crime/nearly-275m-illegal-cigarettes-tobacco-10772249
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Conference reviews fight against smuggling, counterfeits
Hanoi (VNA) – Chief of the Office of the National Steering Committee 389 Dam Thanh The named authorities’ asynchronous coordination and loopholes in mechanisms and policies as shortcomings in the fight against smuggling and counterfeits during a conference in Hanoi on July 11 to review the effort.
The National Steering Committee 389 deals with prevention and control of smuggling, trade fraud and counterfeit goods.
In the first half, the committee’s units inspected 19,057 cases, dealt with 12,162 cases, and launched criminal proceedings against 42 cases with 48 defendants, collecting 1,569.577 billion VND (68.24 million USD) for the State budget, up 172.53 billion VND (7.5 million USD) annually.
Chu Xuan Kien, Deputy Director of the Hanoi municipal Department of Industry and Trade, said the trade and transport of illicit and smuggled goods remain complicated, adding that smugglers often store goods in the northern provinces of Bac Giang, Bac Ninh, Hung Yen and the suburbs of Hanoi, then put them in small packets for easier transport.
http://en.vietnamplus.vn/conference-reviews-fight-against-smuggling-counterfeits/114698.vnp
Lear MoreLarge amounts of tobacco, drugs seized by Oman Customs
Muscat: More than 26,255 cartons of illegal cigarettes have been confiscated in Oman according to reports by Oman Customs.
At the Al Wujaja land borders, Customs confiscated 25,580 cartons of illegal cigarettes during a smuggling attempt.
In the Seeb area, 675 cartons of illegal cigarettes and 66 kgs of loose tobacco were seized from a worker’s house by the Department of Investigation and Risk Assessment.
A significant amount of drugs and psychotropics have also been confiscated at two of Oman’s airports, according to a statement from Oman Customs.
“Customs at Muscat and Salalah International Airport foil smuggling operations for amounts of drugs and psychotropics,” the statement said.
http://timesofoman.com/article/112559/Oman/Tobacco-drugs-smuggling-bid-foiled-by-Oman-Customs
Lear MoreTrio in court over $19m drug trafficking
A 15-year-old girl charged with trafficking in dangerous drugs and two men, aged 23 and 24, charged with conspiracy to traffic in dangerous drugs, appeared at the Tuen Mun Magistrates’ Courts today.
No plea was taken today and the case was adjourned until September 1. They are remanded in custody.
The teenaged school dropout, claimed she was offered HK$10,000 to carry about HK$19.3 million worth of cocaine across the border into the city.
She was arrested by the police at Shenzhen Bay Control checkpoint and the two men were later arrested in their homes at Kwun Tong and Tin Shui Wai.
http://www.thestandard.com.hk/breaking-news.php?id=93022
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Middle-aged man held over $1.2m suspected counterfeit goods
Customs said today they arrested a 42-year-old man yesterday after about 3,000 pieces of suspected counterfeit goods, worth about HK$1.2 million in market value, were seized.
They took enforcement action and cracked down on an upstairs showroom, (pictured), in Mong Kok after suspecting counterfeit products were being sold there.
The showroom, in a residential flat, was not open to the public and only served acquainted customers, Customs said.
http://www.thestandard.com.hk/breaking-news.php?id=92916
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