Illinois Man Denies Cancer Drug Smuggling Conspiracy Charge
An Illinois man pleaded not guilty Tuesday to conspiring with an online Canadian pharmacy to smuggle mislabeled, unapproved and, in two cases, counterfeit prescription drugs into the U.S. to sell to doctors.
Ram Kamath appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeremiah Lynch for arraignment in Missoula. So far, he is the only one of the 14 individuals and companies named as defendants to appear in court to face criminal smuggling, conspiracy and money laundering charges.
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Oireachtas committee sought action on cigarette smuggling in 2013
An Oireachtasdommittee wrote to the justice minister in March 2013 highlighting the need to tackle the huge increase in illegal cigarette smuggling. Committee chairman, David Stanton TD, wrote to Alan Shatter outlining the committee’s concerns and representations they had had from the National Federation of Retail Newsagents on the issue. However, it appears nothing was done and Mr Stanton said his committee would be focusing on the subject again when it reconvenes next month.
He made his comments in the wake of an undercover investigation which shows the country is awash with illegal tobacco.
Lear MoreMan,37, arrested for selling fake insecticides
A 37-year-old man is in the grips of the Police in the Eastern region for selling fake insecticide coil.The suspect, KwabenaOwusu, was accosted by traders at the Nsawam market who feared the product was unwholesome.
Upon interrogation, he admitted using powdered broom sticks and cow manure to produce the insecticide called Magic Scent.The product is yet-to-be sent to the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) for testing.
http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/crime/Man-37-arrested-for-selling-fake-insecticides-377548
Lear MoreKelantan UPP Seizes 8,720 Kg Tobacco Worth Nearly RM400,000
The Kelantan anti-smuggling unit (UPP) seized 8,720 kg of tobacco believed to have been smuggled in from Thailand, worth nearly RM400,000 in a raid in Pasir Mas early Monday.
Its commander Rusli Karim said the raid was carried out around 2am at a store in KampungBanggolChicha, Pasir Mas.”The raid was conducted after a week-long surveillance. We found 436 tobacco bales believed to have been smuggled from Thailand through some jetties along the Malaysia-Thai border,” he told a press conference here.
Rusli said investigations revealed that the hidden store was used as a transit before the tobacco was being transferred to a cigarette factory in the west coast area.
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SON arrests importers of fake auto parts
Determined to deliver on its mandate to rid Nigerian markets of fake and sub-standard products, the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has seized sub-standard auto spare-parts worth N20 million from Mundus Auto Limited at the popular Auto Parts and Mechanics Dealers Association (ASPAMDA) market at the Lagos International Trade Fair Complex along Mile 12-Badagry Expressway. The importer was also arrested.
http://thenationonlineng.net/son-arrests-importers-of-fake-auto-parts/
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Florida State Says Skim Milk is ‘Imitation’ Milk
According to Florida, skim milk is fake. That is the official opinion of the state’s Department of Agriculture and Consumer Affairs, which considers the low- or no-fat milk as “imitation” milk because it is nutritionally inferior to whole and two-percent milks. One milk producer in particular, Ocheesee Creamery, has been fighting a three-year battle to get its all-natural skim milk—which comes from grass-fed cows and has zero additives—to be considered “real.” And now they’ve filed an official lawsuit.
http://www.delish.com/food-news/a43597/florida-skim-milk-imitation-label/
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Agriculture Minister Backs Criminalization of Food Smuggling
Russia’s Agriculture Minister Alexander Tkachyov has thrown his agency’s weight behind a proposal to imprison those bringing banned foods illegally into the country, making them liable to the same penalties as those who smuggle drugs or weapons.
“Why not?”Tkachyov told state-owned Rossiya 24 television in a broadcast Sunday afternoon. “Everywhere in the world, contraband [smugglers] are treated harshly, so if you have broken the rules, you will banned from entering the country for decades.”
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Arsenic and lead found in illegal tobacco in Cork
Cigarettes containing high levels of asbestos, lead, arsenic, traces of rat poison and human excrement are flooding Ireland as dissidents and highly organised crime gangs make vast profits buying them for as little as 20c a packet. The mark-up is huge, with a packet of 20 of what are known as ‘illegal whites’ selling on the streets for anything between €4 and €6.
The illegal whites are cigarettes with fictional brand names such as Excellence, Palace, President, CK, Gin, Ling, and M&G and are being manufactured in the United Arab Emirates, China, and Eastern Europe.
http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/arsenic-and-lead-found-in-illegal-tobacco-349688.html
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Counterfeit goods easily available, but not always easy to spot
As the world has grown smaller, more and more foreign-made goods are hitting our shores. Among them, a flood of fakes, fueled in part by the Internet and the ease with which we can buy products directly.
Last year, US law enforcement agencies shut down nearly 30,000 websites that were illegally selling counterfeit merchandise online. Not only do fakes cost US businesses as much as $250 billion in lost trade annually, but many are also downright dangerous.
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Six month old baby girl given CHEMICAL BURNS from fake baby wipe
A BRITISH mum was horrified when her six-month-old daughter suffered chemical burns – from a wet wipe.Galina Kadokhova rushed her six-month-old baby daughter Rita to hospital screaming in agony after going through the nappy routine with what she believed were Pampers wet wipes.The tiny tot was began uncontrollably screaming after her mother wiped her bottom, and just moments later her skin began to blister.
Galina had bought the wipes from Dixi, her local supermarket chain.After rushing her daughter to the hospital, and Rita receiving treatment for burn injuries, the angry mother complained to health inspectors about the product.
http://www.express.co.uk/life-style/health/599826/Fake-baby-wipe-chemical-burns-young-girl-hospital
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