Dozens arrested in international smuggling, money laundering ring
Police arrested nearly 60 people Wednesday in Quebec and Ontario as they broke up an international money laundering ring.
In what the Sureté du Quebec is calling Operation Tarantula (Mygale), officers have spent months investigating an organized crime ring spanning North America, South America, and Europe.
It culminated in 70 raids Wednesday in Ste. Therese, St. Marthe sur le lac, in the Six Nations reserve in Ontario, and in other areas near Montreal.
http://montreal.ctvnews.ca/dozens-arrested-in-international-smuggling-money-laundering-ring-1.2837711
Interpol cracks down on fake liquor, tainted food products
A global police crackdown has seized over 10,000 tons of illicit or dangerous food and drink including monkey meat, dead insects and fake sugar spiked with fertilizer, the European police agency said Wednesday. In Italy, officers seized 85 tons of olives “painted with copper sulphate to enhance their color,” while British police recovered nearly 10,000 liters of fake or adulterated alcohol, including wine, whisky and vodka. The raids were carried out as part of Operation Opson V, which involved law enforcement from 57 countries as well as global policing agency Interpol and its EU counterpart, Europol said in a statement.
Police target contraband tobacco, drugs and money laundering in mass arrests in Quebec and Ontario
The Surete du Quebec say nearly 60 arrests were made Wednesday morning targeting biker gangs and what they’re calling Aboriginal organized crime outfits on charges of selling contraband tobacco, drugs and money laundering. Raids took place in residences and shops, mainly located in the greater Montreal, the Laurentians, Lanaudiere, Monteregie and on Kahnawake in Quebec, as well as on Six Nations in Ontario.
“Project Mygale is the largest ever made to date in America on tobacco smuggling, but also on cross-border crime between Canada and the United States,” said Capt. Frederick Gaudreau of the Surete du Quebec.
NASCAR’s Derek White Targeted in North America’s Largest Tobacco Smuggling Bust
If you thought the days of professional racers moonlighting in the illicit transportation industry were over, boy were you wrong: Bloomberg reports that NASCAR Sprint Cup driver Derek White was named by Quebec and Ontario police as one of 60 people involved in the single largest tobacco-smuggling bust in North American history. Sheesh.
According to Canadian authorities, White is alleged to be one of the top-ranking members of a huge smuggling operation. The tightly controlled ring purchased shipments of tobacco leaf from North Carolina and spirited them into Canada without paying the necessary import taxes.
http://www.roadandtrack.com/motorsports/news/a28662/derek-white-nascar-tobacco-smuggling/
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NAFDAC destroys N1bn fake products in Ogun
Nigeria’s National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has destroyed fake and unwholesome products worth more than N1 billion in Ogun state, west of the country.
The products destroyed included expired products which were said to have been voluntarily handed over by compliant companies in the country.Other products destroyed were fake and counterfeit drugs, prohibited substandard and expired food products, cosmetics and other regulated products.
http://thenewsnigeria.com.ng/2016/03/nafdac-destroys-n1bn-fake-products-in-ogun/
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NAFDAC destroys N1bn fake products
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) yesterday destroyed fake and unwholesome products worth more than N1 billion in Ogun State. The products destroyed included expired products which were said to have been voluntarily handed over by compliant companies in the country.
Other products destroyed were fake and counterfeit drugs, prohibited substandard and expired food products, cosmetics and other regulated products.
These were seized by the Investigation and Enforcement Directorate of NAFDAC in Lagos State and environs from manufacturers and importers as well as distributors.
Former butcher got his nickname from lucrative cigarette smuggling racket
Duggan had originally been a butcher before opting to get involved in organised crime, specialising in smuggling and fencing stolen goods. Duggan gained his nickname and became a millionaire because of his massive involvement in cigarette smuggling.
He was for many years classified as a member of the criminal gang centred around ‘The Monk’, who masterminded some of the country’s biggest robberies.
Duggan had also been involved in laundering money for the gang by buying up several properties around the city.
Vinataba: cigarette smuggling continues
Sumatra said that the National Office for Intellectual Property (NOIP) has granted 67 certificates on trademark certificates for two cigarette products to Sumatra since 1990. In reply, Tran Son Chau, CEO of Vinataba, said on December 4, 11 and 24, NOIP released 46 notices, informing Vinataba that Sumatra had not provided any additional document related to the suspension/cancelation of the validity for 46 trademarks. “As such, regarding the 46 trademarks, Sumatra cannot refute our argument that Sumatra has not used the trademarks for the last five years,” Chau said.
“On December 25 and 29, 2015, we filed 46 documents to NOIP, requesting the office to cancel and abrogate the validity of the trademarks,” he said.
http://english.vietnamnet.vn/fms/business/152585/vinataba–cigarette-smuggling-continues.html
Lear MoreCI, MCCS To Conduct Joint Anti-Smuggling Operations
Islamabad—In an attempt to crush cross-border smuggling, Customs Intelligence (CI) and Model Customs Collectorate (MCCs) have decided to launch joint operations.
Sources privy to current development told Pakistan Observer that following the guidelines of Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), the both institutions Directorate General of Customs Intelligence and Model Customs Collectorates (MCCs) in future will conduct joint operations to eliminate the illegal supply of goods in Pakistan from Afghanistan.
UK Recovers GBP 1.6 Billion From Smugglers
The rapidly growing tax burdens on alcohol and tobacco are fuelling mass smuggling in the UK, although efforts by tax authorities are helping to bring a significant portion of the contraband back into the tax net. Investigations into smuggling of tobacco and cigarettes in the UK in 2015 led to the recovery of GBP 1.63 billion in taxes, according to the results of new research completed by the UK accounting firm UHY Hacker Young.
The amount of taxes collected from uncovered smuggling operations in 2015 is 6 percent higher than in the previous year.
http://www.taxationinfonews.com/2016/03/uk-recovers-gbp-1-6-billion-from-smugglers/
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