In the wake of the deaths in Kallakurichi in Tamil Nadu in which 50 people died, 250 liters of illicit liquor were seized and disposed off in the state’s Tiruchirapalli district.
The action was taken by Tiruchirapalli District Collector, Pradeep Kumar and Superintendent of Police, Varun Kumar, based on intelligence input on Friday night, police said.
Tamil Nadu: Illicit liquor seized in Trichy, days after Kallakurichi Hooch tragedy
24 nabbed in Kapurthala, drugs, illicit liquor seized
Kapurthala: During a cordon and search operation (CASO) carried out by the Kapurthala police, 51 grams of heroin, 500 grams of poppy husk, 900 intoxicant capsules, 1100 intoxicant tablets, 57,000 ml illicit liquor, 45500 ml liquor, 315 gram intoxicant powder, two tractors, an Innova and 10 two-wheelers were seized by the police.
The district police on Friday carried out Operation Eagle 4 arresting 24 persons with registration of 22 FIRs. The entire operation was supervised by ADGP (Internal Security) Shive Kumar Verma.
The police teams led by SSP Vatsala Gupta and SPs and DSPs concerned conducted a search at 11 drug hot spots. The police also verified as many as 246 suspects in all four sub-divisions of the district, she added.
SSP Vatsala Gupta said that the search operation was aimed to nab those found involved in drug peddling and that the anti-drug campaign would be a continuous process. The police teams raided the hot spots from 8 am to 2 pm so that the drug traffickers could be nabbed. During the operation, police teams also arrested two proclaimed offenders besides seizing 13 suspicious vehicles across the district, she added.
Thirteen people arrested by authorities in Victoria, WA in operation targeting illegal tobacco trade
Police have arrested 13 people — some with alleged links to a Middle Eastern crime group — over the cigarette war that has led to the fire bombings of dozens of tobacco stores across Australia.
On Monday, Victoria Police executed six search warrants, including at an address in Sunbury in Melbourne’s north, where they said about 2.4 million illicit cigarettes were seized, along with 15 firearms, a stolen vehicle and a gel blaster. A further 50,000 illicit cigarettes, 30 kilograms of loose tobacco, vapes, a crossbow, ammunition, cash and drugs, including cocaine, steroids and magic mushrooms, were seized from other Melbourne addresses in Wollert, Collingwood, Werribee and Altona Meadows, investigators said.
Meanwhile in WA, police said 5.9 million illicit cigarettes, $1.7 million in cash, five vehicles with a combined value of $500,000, and 41,000 vapes were part of a significant haul seized during searches at private homes, storage units and retail outlets. The head of the syndicate with alleged links to a Middle Eastern crime — a 29-year-old man previously from Victoria — moved to Perth two years ago to help establish an illegal tobacco network, police said.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-06-21/victoria-police-tobacco-war-arrests-wa-police/104007356
7,600 fake goods seized in Guangzhou
Law enforcement personnel seized more than 7,600 counterfeit products during a special operation targeting counterfeiting in shopping malls and stores near Guangzhou Railway Station in the Yuexiu district of Guangdong’s provincial capital on Sunday.
The fake products were seized during investigations of 17 cases and included leather goods, clothing, shoes, cosmetics and watches suspected of having infringed on the exclusive rights of trademarked brands such as Hermes, Dior, LV, Gucci and Versace, according to a statement released by the Guangzhou market supervision administration on Tuesday.
The special operation, which was jointly launched by the administration and the public security bureau of Guangzhou, the city’s Yuexiu and Baiyun districts and local neighborhood committees, dealt a heavy blow to counterfeiting activities surrounding Guangzhou Railway Station, where many bazaars and shopping malls are located, the administration said.
https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202406/19/WS66722ba3a31095c51c5099f1.html
Six tonnes of sandalwood seized in Puducherry
PUDUCHERRY: Forest Department officials from Salem seized six tonnes of sandalwood and sawdust from an essential oil factory in Puducherry. The factory operates on land allegedly owned by the daughter of Puducherry Agriculture Minister Theni C Djeacoumar.
According to sources, during a vehicle check in Salem, forest officials seized 1.5 tonnes of sandalwood transported from Kerala in a container lorry without proper permission. A total of Six persons were arrested in the case. Upon inquiry, it was discovered that the sandalwood was destined for Indore Afro Essential Oil Private Limited in Ulavaikal near Villianur, Puducherry.
A team led by Assistant Conservator of Forests R Selvakumar conducted an inspection at the factory on Thursday, following which they found a total of six tonnes of sandalwood, sawdust, and 24 kilograms of oil in search. The inspection and inquiry continued until Friday evening and the officials seized the items and informed the Puducherry district administration, but no arrests were made. The factory is allegedly owned by a man from Kerala and the land in which it is located allegedly belongs to a Puducherry minister’s daughter, sources added.
Meghalaya BSF seizes goods worth Rs 77 lakh along Bangladesh border
Border Security Force (BSF) in Meghalaya, in a major crackdown on cross-border smuggling activities, thwarted two separate smuggling attempts on June 14.
The operations resulted in the seizure of a substantial quantity of medicines, mobile phone displays, and sugar, collectively valued at over Rs 77 lakh.
The seized goods were intended to be smuggled into Bangladesh through the international border. The BSF personnel, deployed along the border, demonstrated their vigilance and swift action to disrupt the illegal activities.
2.5 kg gold seized at Tiruchi airport
Officers of the Customs Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) seized 2.57 kg of gold being smuggled in the form of plates by a passenger at the Tiruchi International Airport on Thursday.
Acting on specific intelligence, the AIU officers checked the food processor / juicer mixer in the luggage being taken by a passenger who arrived from Dubai by an Air India Express flight. The officers found gold in the form of plates concealed inside the food processor. The value of the gold was estimated at ₹1.83 crore.
In a statewide drive, thousands of litres of illicit liquor seized, destroyed within a week
Under the directives of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, a campaign against illegal and toxic liquor is on in the state. Within a week following end of the EC’s model code of conduct, thousands of litres of illegal and toxic liquor were seized and destroyed by excise and police departments.
Swift action resulted in the operation in Amroha, Saharanpur, Ghaziabad, Sitapur, Sultanpur, Lalitpur, Hapur, Moradabad, Lakhimpur, Gonda, Etah, Ambedkar Nagar, Basti, Muzaffarnagar, Pilibhit, Jhansi, Unnao, Banda, Prayagraj, Chitrakoot, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Farrukhabad, Badaun, Amethi, Kushinagar, Gorakhpur and Basti districts of the state.
Factories producing counterfeit domestic and foreign made liquor, bottles, fake wrappers and fake QR codes were found. A gang selling contracted liquor from other states at various dhabas in the state was busted too.
Until Thursday morning, 60 litres of illicit liquor and 200 kg raw material were seized and destroyed in Sitapur. In Jhansi, police seized 610 litres of illicit liquor and 3,800 kgs of raw material and destroyed them on the spot. Four women were arrested. In Unnao, excise team seized 225 litres illicit liquor.
Counterfeit goods worth £500k seized at horse fair
The annual fair took place between 6 June and 12 June. Trading Standards officers have seized counterfeit goods worth more than £500,000 from the market fields at this year’s Appleby Horse Fair.
The items include 2,500 pairs of sunglasses and nearly 200 bottles of perfume with counterfeit Cartier, Fendi, Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Dior trademarks.
Supt Dan St Quintin said this year’s fair had seen “a new standard set for proactive enforcement”. Trading Standards manager Catherine Hornby urged people to avoid buying counterfeit items.
“Consumers are often not aware of the health risks involved in using counterfeit items,” she said. “At best you will waste your money on a sub-standard product, at worst you may purchase something that is harmful. Counterfeit items are unregulated, and the counterfeiters have no regard for your health and safety.”
Illegal cigarettes worth ₹21,200 seized in Chandigarh, two shops fined
A joint team from various UT administration departments conducted raids at several cigarette-selling shops on Wednesday and issued fines worth ₹12,200 for various violations.
Authorities also seized 53 packets of imported cigarettes, valued at ₹21,200 in the wholesale market, with a significantly higher retail value. The seized cigarettes did not have the required 85% pictorial warnings and had bypassed customs, excise and GST regulations.
The joint team, led by officers of the department of health and family welfare, and comprising officials of the police, health, excise and taxation, legal metrology departments, and food safety and drug control wing, carried out a targeted raid for the enforcement of tobacco control regulations in Chandigarh.