Cigarette smuggling rife in Cyprus say MPs
Cigarette and tobacco smuggling is booming in Cyprus, costing the state millions in taxes and known individuals are behind it, MPs said on Tuesday. The House Watchdog Committee discussed the issue in the wake of the seizure of 19.5 tonnes of tobacco in Aradippou in October, the largest haul to date. “Let us not hide our heads in the sand,” AKEL MP Irini Charalambidou said. “There is a smuggling ring and there are known individuals hiding behind it.” Charalambidou said chaos reigned supreme.
http://cyprus-mail.com/2016/01/19/cigarette-smuggling-rife-in-cyprus-say-mps/
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Counterfeits to hurt India’s manufacturing sector: A report
The activities of counterfeiting and smuggling are presenting a bigger challenge for enforcement authorities and governments globally and in India. As per World Customs Organisation’s (WCO) estimates, approximately 3 billion pieces of counterfeit and pirated products were seized in 2013. Of these, more than half of the reported goods were illicit pharmaceutical products (2.3 billion pieces), followed by electronic appliances (470 million pieces), other taxable products (95 million) and foodstuff (50 million), amongst other commodities. For other industries such as tobacco, a significant rise in illicit trade have been reported. It indicated that in 2012 the illicit trade, rose to 40 percent making tobacco trafficking, a serious issue for customs organisations.
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Decline in smuggled counterfeits, Dubai Customs says
Dubai: The smuggling of counterfeit goods has dropped by almost 58 per cent between 2014 and 2015, according to the latest figures provided by Customs officials.
In contrast to 306 seizures of intellectual property-infringing goods by Dubai Customs in 2014, official figures showed that only 126 seizures were made in Dubai between January and November 2015, the Dubai Customs Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Department said.
Yousuf Ozair Mubarak, director of IPR department at Dubai Customs, said that the counterfeit goods seized covered a wide range of products from clothes, mobile phones and accessories to cigarettes and auto spare parts.
“The estimated value of seizures of counterfeit goods was Dh14.85 mil
http://gulfnews.com/news/uae/society/decline-in-smuggled-counterfeits-dubai-customs-says-1.1656085
Lear MoreGlobal Anti-Counterfeit Packaging Market Set to Grow at a CAGR of over 15% by 2020, Says Technavio
Technavio analysts forecast the global anti-counterfeit packaging market to reach around USD 134 billion by 2020, according to their latest report.
The report explains the main growth drivers of the anti-counterfeit packaging market, including the rising need for traceability systems and the increasing demand for anti-counterfeit packaging from emerging nations. “Counterfeiting has become a matter of concern for all businesses globally. As per the data provided by the World Customs Organization and the International Chamber of Commerce, 5-9% of the annual global trade is accounted for by counterfeit goods and products. Counterfeit packaging has become a common problem, posing many challenges to businesses, especially to companies operating in the F&B, pharmaceutical, and consumer goods industries,” explains Technavio’s lead research analyst, Sharan Raj M.
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Health warning: Pills you take may be fake
A 60-year-old Jiaxing man paid a company 280,000 yuan (US$42,607) to purchase medicine purported to improve health, even though his family warned him that the products might be fake.
The man didn’t believe the warning until two Jiaxing policemen, disguised as applicants for jobs in the company, gathered the evidence to expose the scam. The company turned out to be fraudulent, bilking unwary consumers of more than 2 million yuan across China. The purported “medicine,” sold at 1,900 yuan per box, turned out to have a value of only a few yuan.
http://www.shanghaidaily.com/hangzhou/Health-warning-Pills-you-take-may-be-fake/shdaily.shtml
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Iran’s lawmakers criticize custom services over smuggling goods, arms
An Iranian lawmaker has said that some people smuggle arms and alcoholic beverages from Iraq to Iran using fuel tankers.
Abrolreza Mesri has said that the fuel tankers which carry illegal equipment continue crossing the Iranian borders, Mehr news agency reported Jan. 16.
“The fuel products are imported from Iraq and it is unclear who issues permit for importing the fuel products. Arms and alcoholic beverages are carried by the tankers,” Mesri added.
“It is unclear who is benefited from the fuel tankers that even ministers are unable to encounter them,” he added.
http://www.azernews.az/region/91761.html
Lear MorePPP for consumer awareness
Union Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan being welcome to the regional conference of the Consumer Affairs Departments of Southern States, in Bengaluru on Saturday. Consumer Protection Authority to initiate a strong consumer protection regime, the Union government is working on stringent consumer laws encompassing a product liability clause. State Food and Civil Supplies Minister Dinesh Gundurao looks on.To protect consumers from misleading advertisements and sale of fake products, the Union Ministry of Consumer Affairs is now focussing on creating consumer awareness through a public-private partnership (PPP) initiative. Announcing this decision here on Saturday, Union Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan said that the Union government has also discussed with companies, the possibility of setting aside a part of their Corporate Social Responsibility fund to create consumer awareness, especially in rural areas.
http://www.nyoooz.com/bengaluru/322640/ppp-for-consumer-awareness
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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.