Bangladesh expels North Korean diplomat for smuggling
A North Korean diplomat has been asked to leave Bangladesh for allegedly smuggling more than a million cigarettes. Bangladesh has ordered a North Korean diplomat to leave the country after he was caught smuggling in goods worth nearly half a million US dollars.
Han Son Ik, the first secretary of the North Korean embassy in the capital Dhaka, attempted to smuggle one million cigarettes as well as electronics in a shipping container, Bangladeshi officials said on Monday.
“The diplomat declared that his cargo contained food and soft drinks. But when we opened the cargo, we found 1.6 million stalks of expensive cigarettes and electronics,” Moinul Khan, head of intelligence at Bangladesh customs, told the AFP news agency.
Tobacco products’ smuggling posing serious problem: Sitharaman
The Minister said ways were being explored to completely stop tobacco production in the country and provide alternatives to the tobacco farmers.
Smuggling of tobacco products has posed a serious problem for the government as legal import of cigarettes was less than those coming in through illegal channels, Minister of State for Commerce Nirmala Sitharaman said today. Sitharaman said it was a matter of concern that smuggling of tobacco products into the country was more than those coming through legal routes. “Our concern is illegal import of tobacco products. Illegal imports are increasing. We are trying to strengthen the borders so that illegal imports can be stopped. Commerce Ministry is in regular touch with Finance Ministry under which the customs department falls,” she said during Question Hour.
Lear MoreDubai Customs seizes fake goods worth Dh38. 4M
A total of 95 seizures of fake products worth Dh38.4 million were carried out by Dubai Customs inspectors during the first half of 2016.The seized goods included fake watches, sunglasses, electronics, auto spare parts, textiles, bags and footwear, they said.
The smuggling of counterfeit goods has been on a downward trend in the past two years, as Dubai Customs is playing a primary role in stopping the movement of fake goods and all attempts that violate intellectual property rights (IPR).
IPR protection in Dubai is crucial in light of the UAE’s orientation to unleash the spirit of creativity and innovation in government work and to provide all means of support to creative minds and talented people, in line with the directives of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
http://gulfnews.com/news/uae/society/dubai-customs-seizes-fake-goods-worth-dh38-4m-1.1873048
Lear MorePolice in Patra, on Wednesday detained three Pakistani nationals, aged 37, 33 and 15, believed to be members of a racket trading in contraband tobacco in the western port. Initially officers arrested the 37-year-old after
On the basis of a tip-off received by Excise Commissioner Rishiraj Singh, excise officers manning the Aryankavu check-post seized 30,000 packets of pan masala from a lorry transporting vegetables from Tamil Nadu to Kollam.
Excise Circle Inspector T. Anil Kumar said the seized consignment would be worth Rs.15 lakh in the banned tobacco products black market. Each packet with an MRP tag of Rs.5 is sold at rates ranging from Rs.30 to Rs.50 in the black market. Migrant labourers and students form part of the clientele. Saturday’s was the fourth major seizure of banned tobacco products by personnel of the Aryankavu excise check-post in the last one month.
During the period, the Excise officers had seized 3 kg of ganja and arrested five persons in that connection.
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Abu Dhabi: Abu Dhabi’s Department of Economic Development (ADDED) seized 227,617 counterfeit products in Abu Dhabi
department conducted 494 inspections and seized counterfeit products that included auto spare parts, electronics, clothes, accessories and cosmetic products, in addition to 3,792 tonnes of fruits and The vegetables, 448 sheep from vendors, seven kilos of niswar and three tonnes of clothes and household items.
The department also shut down a total of 43 establishments for violating laws pertaining to economic activity and commercial licensing. According to the report issued on Sunday, the ADDED conducted 71,595 field visits to commercial establishments in Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and the Western Region, issuing 3,959 fines. The report indicated that ADDED received 1,834 complaints from consumers and trade name owners regarding wrong or illegal practices and commercial fraud.
Khalifa Bin Salem Al Mansouri, acting undersecretary at ADDED, said that the department is keen on following up on and curbing all practices that affect the performance of businesses. He praised the role played by governmental, semi-governmental and private strategic partners in assisting ADDED to realise its strategic goals and achieve a competitive business environment in Abu Dhabi.
http://gulfnews.com/news/uae/government/227-617-fake-products-seized-in-abu-dhabi-1.1875029
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Illegal tobacco products worth 20 lakh seized
The City Task Force led by assistant commissioner of police I ChittiBabu conducted raids at various spots in the city and seized banned tobacco products such as gutkha and khaini worth Rs 20 lakh.This is the biggest haul ever by the CTF. The banned products were seized from Kancharapalem, Vizag Railway Station, NAD Kotha Road, Malkapuram, Gajuwaka, Venkojipalem, Allipuram, Rama Talkies, Prakasaraopeta, Ganjipeta and Seethammapeta. 23 people have been taken into custody.
Lear MoreIllegal tobacco hidden in Chinese cargo
A Chinese national faces deportation or up to 10 years in jail for illegally importing tobacco and cigarettes hidden in air filters into Victoria.Shijun Ai faced the Victorian County Court on Friday, having earlier pleaded guilty to charges of illegally importing tobacco into Australia, possessing tobacco, and using a false passport.
Ai admitted importing 837 kilograms of tobacco in loose form and cigarettes found hidden in cargo shipped to Australia from China between 2014 and 2015.
https://au.news.yahoo.com/vic/a/32248383/illegal-tobacco-hidden-in-chinese-cargo/#page1
Lear MoreColorado smuggling to rocket with tobacco tax hike
An initiative that may appear on Colorado’s November’s ballot would, if adopted, nearly triple the state’s current cigarette excise tax. This, we believe the evidence shows, will usher in a wave of cigarette smuggling and other undesirable consequences.
Voters should think twice before adopting this tax increase. Research shows high excise taxes invite scofflaws to traffic in illicit cigarettes, encourage corruption among public officials and trigger violence against people, property and police.
We created a statistical model in 2008 to measure how many packs of cigarettes are smuggled into or out of American states and have updated it routinely since then. In our latest analysis, which uses data through 2013, we find that Colorado has a relatively low smuggling rate of about 12 percent. Most of the smuggling comes from what we call “casual” smuggling.
The casual smuggler is the Coloradan who crosses into a different city, county, state or taxing jurisdiction to buy cigarettes, or buys them online. The key is that the person buys cigarettes for his or her own use. Contrast this with “commercial” smuggling, which is an organized crime that brings in truckloads of cigarettes from distant locales to be sold illegally in Colorado. This happens all over the country — for example, cigarettes with Virginia tax stamps have beenconfiscated in California. (A tax stamp is evidence that the pack is subject to the taxing authority of a particular state.)
http://completecolorado.com/pagetwo/2016/08/05/colorado-smuggling-to-rocket-with-tobacco-tax-hike/
Cornwall Regional Task Force seized $175K of contraband in July
About $175,000 worth of contraband tobacco was seized by the Cornwall Regional Task Force (CRTF) during recent smuggling arrests.
CRTF officer in charge, Insp. Steve Ethier claimed co-operation from residents along the St. Lawrence River has aided their surveillance. During the late hours of July 19, CRTF officers were called to a St. Lawrence River residence in South Glengarry where they spotted a van without headlights departing the shoreline along County Road 2. The van, a 2002 Pontiac Montana, was stopped by police, forcing the occupants to flee on foot.Police were able to chase down Joey Bouchard, 18, of St-Stanislas-de-Kostka, Que., but the other suspect evaded capture.
Illicit tobacco: Three retailers share their experiences
Illicit cigarettes account for approximately one in six of those smoked in the UK last year and almost half of rolling tobacco is not legitimate.
The losses to government alone are shocking with the UK government missing on a potential £6million a day in tax revenue.
But what is the situation really like for Retail Newsagent readers who face it, in their communities, every day? We spoke to store owners across the British Isles to find out.
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