Smugglers modify trucks to hide contraband tobacco
CORNWALL, Ontario – Smugglers are using creative ways to avoid getting busted by the Cornwall Regional Task Force. A 25-year-old Cornwall man was arrested on Dec. 20 at the Canada Border Service Agency (CBSA) port of entry in the City of Cornwall after officers found 171 cartons of contraband cigarettes inside a false compartment in the driver’s 2001 Dodge Ram truck. Two Akwesasne men were also arrested at the POE on Dec. 29 after officers discovered that the box of their pickup truck was on hinges. Inside they found 350 cartons of contraband tobacco.
E-commerce Firms Will Be Told to Check Counterfeiting
NEW DELHI: The activities of selling counterfeit products on e-commerce platforms are posing a real threat to the country’s economy. Expressing concern over sale of fake products on the e-commerce platform, the Central Board of Excise and Customs on Friday said it is considering putting in place a voluntary code of practice for e-retailers to curb illicit trade.
Najib Shah, chairman, CBEC said, “New challenges are emerging for customs. E-commerce is one such major area of vulnerability. E-commerce in India provides an unparalleled platform for sellers of both genuine and counterfeit products. So, we are looking at possibility of introducing voluntary code of practice for e-retailers.”
Vietnam police break up racket smuggling cigarettes made in foreign countries
Police in Hanoi have busted a ring that smuggled cigarettes and cigars worth billions of dong (VND1 billion = US$44,570), arresting several suspects, officers announced on Thursday afternoon.
Officers from the anti-smuggling force under the Hanoi Department of Police inspected Tran Quoc Dung, 22, who was transporting a shipment containing 400 packs of foreign-made Sobranie cigarettes without any certificate of origin.
Anti-smuggling drive in Davao City lauded
A TOP official of the Federation of Philippine Industries (FPI) lauded the City Government of Davao for its relentless efforts against smuggling that led to the confiscation of some P12.6 million worth of fake cigarettes in what seemed to be the biggest enforcement raid ever in the “country’s history” involving tobacco products conducted on December 3 to 4, 2015.
In his letter to City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, Jesus Lim Arranza, chair of FPI and Fight Illicit Trade Coalition, cited the city as a model for safety and compliance with laws and regulations.
http://www.sunstar.com.ph/davao/local-news/2016/01/14/anti-smuggling-drive-davao-city-lauded-451816
Lear MoreChennai a thriving market for fake goods: EIPR
Chennai: Raids conducted recently by CB-CID sleuths at various bag outlets in the city after receiving a tip-off from Enforcers of Intellectual and Property Rights (EIPR) have unearthed a rather worrying scenario.
Over 220 fake bags were seized from three outlets at T Nagar, according to sources. The police have already arrested three persons— S MadharBasha (31), M Bala (26) and Mohammed Ibrahim (27), under relevant provisions of Sections 420, 482 and 486 of the IPC.
http://newstodaynet.com/chennai/chennai-thriving-market-fake-goods-eipr
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PSNI seize 60,000 suspected smuggled cigarettes in South Armagh
The police have seized 60,000 suspected smuggled cigarettes after stopping a van in South Armagh.
One man was arrested and the vehicle impounded in the operation in the Crossmaglen area on Tuesday. A PSNI spokesman said the vehicle was stopped by Tactical Support Group officers and the incident is being investigating by them and Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC).
http://www.belfastlive.co.uk/news/belfast-news/psni-seize-60000-suspected-smuggled-10728065
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£100k fake DVD racket man jailed
A fraudster caught buying and selling bogus DVDs in a scam worth nearly £100,000 on ebay has been jailed. Paul Foster imported fake box sets of hit TV series from China and delivered to his home in Penkridge. He then sold thousands of the DVDs on the auction website without the necessary consent of trademark owners, Stafford Crown Court heard.
http://www.expressandstar.com/news/2016/01/12/100k-fake-dvd-racket-man-jailed/
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NAFDAC: Winning the war against counterfeiters
The National Agency for Foods Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has undoubtedly played its primary role effectively in the regulation and control of production, distribution, advertisement, sales of food products, drugs and water as well as usage of, importation and exportation of medical devices, cosmetic products and chemicals. In this way they ensure that they adequately safeguard the populace against sub-standard, poorly manufactured and badly packaged products.
http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/2016/01/nafdac-winning-the-war-against-counterfeiters/
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China Remains Top Source of Counterfeit Tech Goods, Industry Group Says
As a technology journalist working in Hong Kong throughout the 1990s, I witnessed firsthand the rampant piracy of U.S. software products, an unabashedly open and institutionalized peddling of stolen intellectual property. While that activity might not be quite as brazen now as it was then, AGMA, a non-profit organization of tech companies focused on IP protection in the high-tech industry, says China remains the largest source of counterfeit technology products in the world.
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SON introduces reference code to curb fake products’ influx
The Standards Organisation of Nigeria, SON, has announced that it has taken additional measures to curb the influx of substandard goods into the country by introducing a reference code on products in 2016.
Director General, SON, Joseph Odumodu, explained that henceforth, every SONCAP certifi cate issued on products must have reference code to ease traceability of substandard products in the country.
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