News

Prison guard accused in tobacco smuggling, bribery scheme

A prison guard was indicted on bribery charges Wednesday for allegedly smuggling tobacco to inmates at a federal prison in Leavenworth. Michael Harston, 52, was charged in U.S. District Court in Kansas City with one count of conspiracy to commit bribery and four counts of accepting bribes. According to federal prosecutors, Harston took bribes between October 2013 and August 2014 in exchange for carrying contraband tobacco into United States Penitentiary in Leavenworth.

http://www.ottawaherald.com/news/state_news/prison-guard-accused-in-tobacco-smuggling-bribery-scheme/article_bc4a6d00-36af-536e-9032-5d99cb8eca0f.html

Counterfeiting – Damages, Responsibilities And Solutions

Diesel recently announced that they have won a lawsuit against Cosmos World after a battle of 16 years spent fighting against the Spanish company that manufactured and sold counterfeited Diesel products in European and in Southern American countries. The business of counterfeiting appears like a huge iceberg whose size is hard to imagine because final responsibilities are hidden and hard to punish. Especially during the summer season, for instance on Italian beaches, one might be persuaded into buying counterfeited products from non-European peddlers running back and forth carrying loads of merchandise under the sun. Some “bestsellers” may include Stella McCartney bags sold at €170, fake Louis Vuitton items at €80, Hogan bags at €40, Moncler jackets for €60 and Napapjjri sweatshirts for €15. Anyone might think that, while helping someone in difficulty, he or she could get a good bargain for a “branded” product. Despite this, the consumer is not always aware that the product is not genuine or produced employing the brand name dishonestly and in some cases manufactured with materials and under conditions that can even damage one’s health. And it is very likely that the person selling those products is also seriously exploited by dishonest people and organizations – as the whole business behind counterfeiting.

Counterfeiting: The Rising Threat to Electronics Manufacturers (and Enterprise Labeling as the First Line of Defense)

As a serious challenge to today’s global electronics supply chain, counterfeiting and gray market diversion of electronics components threaten the integrity of products for manufacturers. Counterfeits and obsolete electronics components contribute to dangerous business exposure for manufacturer’s customers, and compromise health and safety for consumers. Clearly, new solutions are needed to improve electronics supply chain integrity and stability.  Although unit item serialization is one of the most powerful anti-counterfeiting and anti-diversion measures available today, many manufacturers lack standardized, automated, enterprise-wide labeling solutions as a foundation upon which serialization can be implemented efficiently and cost effectively. This is because many large electronics organizations, their suppliers, and their distributors still rely on a mish mash of 3rd party and homegrown barcode labeling systems. Serialization technology cannot be applied consistently or affordably throughout a non-standardized labeling environment. However, Enterprise Labeling Solutions can provide the first line of defense in today’s complex high technology electronics distribution environment.

Authorities fear illicit tobacco trade is moving from Gloucester shops to ‘tab houses’ on estates

Fears have been raised that the war on illicit tobacco could soon take a sinister new twist after £20,000-worth of the stuff was found in a home in the Forest of Dean. The surprise discovery in Coleford means the trade could be moving from corner shops to “tab houses” in residential areas. Until now, most of the illegal tobacco in the region has been sold under the counter at city centre shops. But in some areas of the north cigarettes sold from private homes at pocket money prices have been blamed for creating a new generation of young smokers.