Two men arrested following raids in Catfield in investigation into £2.24 million tobacco smuggling fraud
Two men have been arrested by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) during raids linked to an investigation into a suspected £2.24 million tobacco smuggling fraud.
Share article from onfacebook Tweet article from Share article from on Google Pluspost article from on reddit email article from HMRC, accompanied by officers from Norfolk Police, seized 7.3 million suspected illicit cigarettes from a unit in Catfield late on Tuesday, before searching private addresses in Essex and East London on Wednesday.
The cigarettes, computers, paperwork and £1,500 in cash were seized during the operation.
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Ukrainians smuggle Apple devices from abroad to save money
Despite average salaries of only $2,000 per year, many Ukrainians still long to possess an iPhone.
But while U.S. customers can buy a new iPhone 6S for $549, Ukrainians have to pay $730 for the same model at an official distributor’s store. So many Ukrainians opt for cheaper, smuggled Apple gadgets.
Hand-held electronics are easy to transport and pound-for-pound are more profitable than other goods. As a result, devices such as Apple smartphones, tablets and watches are popular with Ukrainian smugglers.
https://www.kyivpost.com/technology/ukrainians-smuggle-apple-devices-abroad-save-money.html
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Customs seizes $150,000 of fake Australian skincare products: The challenge of fighting counterfeiters in Australia
Counterfeit skincare products to the value of $150,000 have been seized by customs officials after the goods were shipped into the country from China with a fake “Australian Made” logo.
Australian Made Campaign Ltd (AMCL) has an agreement with the Australian Border Force through which products coming into the country with the “Australian Made, Australian Grown” logo can be intercepted by customs officials.
Five thousand units of skincare products that were copies of genuine Australian items from the brand Eaoron will now be destroyed, according to Australian Made.
Australian Made deputy chief executive Ben Lazzaro says this case highlights the range of challenges faced by businesses as a result of the e-commerce boom.
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Low taxes on tobacco products give green light to Ukraine’s smugglers
With cigarettes being so cheap in Ukraine, there’s a wide margin for smugglers to make a good profit. Moreover, the low cost of smoking takes a toll on the nation’s health, with high rates of smoking-related diseases and deaths.
Yet parliament is in no hurry to increase taxes on tobacco. In defiance of calls by anti-smoking activists to raise tobacco taxes to combat smuggling and improve the nation’s health, the Rada’s tax and customs committee has been protecting the interests of the tobacco industry, as well as blocking laws to restrict cigarette advertising.
Add to that the rapid fall in the value of the hryvnia, the currency having lost two-thirds of its value over the last two years, the illicit cross-border trade in cigarettes has continued apace. In 2016, even high-level diplomats have been caught illegally transporting cigarettes to Hungary.
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Agency joins force with Customs to stop rice smuggling
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration (NAFDAC) and the Nigeria Customs Service are partnering to increase surveillance in monitoring activities at the border posts to curb rice smuggling.
The Acting Director-General, NAFDAC, Mr Yetunde Oni, said this at a news conference on Tuesday in Abuja.
Oni said that records showed that rice imported through the seaports were registered as good quality as pronounced by satisfactory reports from NAFDAC laboratories while those smuggled through the land borders were unregistered and largely substandard.
http://pulse.ng/local/nafdac-agency-joins-force-with-customs-to-stop-rice-smuggling-id5568724.html
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Christian Dior wages war with online counterfeiters
Luxury brand Christian Dior has targeted a number of online counterfeiters in a trademark infringement lawsuit.
In a filing at the US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division on September 28, Dior claimed that the defendants had sold counterfeit clothes and fashion accessories featuring the Dior trademarks.
“The defendants create the defendant internet stores by the hundreds and design them to appear to be selling genuine Dior products, while actually selling counterfeit Dior products to unknowing consumers,” said the filing.
http://www.worldipreview.com/news/christian-dior-wages-war-with-online-counterfeiters-12351
Low taxes on tobacco products give green light to Ukraine’s smugglers
With cigarettes being so cheap in Ukraine, there’s a wide margin for smugglers to make a good profit. Moreover, the low cost of smoking takes a toll on the nation’s health, with high rates of smoking-related diseases and deaths.
Yet parliament is in no hurry to increase taxes on tobacco. In defiance of calls by anti-smoking activists to raise tobacco taxes to combat smuggling and improve the nation’s health, the Rada’s tax and customs committee has been protecting the interests of the tobacco industry, as well as blocking laws to restrict cigarette advertising.
Add to that the rapid fall in the value of the hryvnia, the currency having lost two-thirds of its value over the last two years, the illicit cross-border trade in cigarettes has continued apace. In 2016, even high-level diplomats have been caught illegally transporting cigarettes to Hungary.
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Research at Brock University looks into the counterfeit product industry
For some people nothing beats the rush of a new purchase. A new designer handbag or a pair of must-have sneakers can make all the difference in a hectic week, or even just as a treat. A designer brand that everyone is talking about can make a person feel one step ahead in life. However some opt for the designer look and feel without bothering with the designers themselves, and instead reach for a knock-off. These ‘fake’ products range from cheap and unconvincing to more accurate emulations of the original. Either way, these almost-designer items are counterfeit and often that means illegal.
Lear MoreMillions in illegal counterfeit products seized in Puerto Rico
US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) San Juan Field Operations has announced that 206 seizures were made of counterfeit products, valued at $1.5 million (MSRP), which were illegally imported into Puerto Rico via international mail.
A wide range of counterfeited products were seized during the enforcement effort, called Operation Silver Snake 2, to include: consumer products, apparel, footwear, textiles, pharmaceuticals, and more.
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Man indicted in cigarette smuggling ring faces additional drug charges
Federal authorities have brought additional drug charges against one of the half-dozen men indicted last month in connection with a cigarette smuggling ring that allegedly relied upon the help of three local law enforcement officers.
The FBI last week charged Anwar “Tony” Abdelmajid-Ahmad with trying to purchase a kilogram of heroin, the highly addictive opioid that has been blamed for an increasing number of local overdose deaths.
Abdelmajid-Ahmad, 29, was taken into custody during a sting operation at a New Orleans hotel. He was ordered held without bail following a brief court appearance Monday.
http://www.theadvocate.com/new_orleans/news/courts/article_4c1c57fe-8a6f-11e6-aa05-db9c32fc49f0.html