Counterfeit make-up is risking lives, say police
Human urine, cyanide and rats’ droppings are just a handful of poisonous ingredients found in fake beauty products hitting the U.K., according to findings announced by the City of London Police. It is estimated by the police that consumers in the U.K. spend at least £90 million ($141 million) each year on fake cosmetics, and this total is expected to rise dramatically as consumers shift more towards online shopping.
http://www.cnbc.com/id/102687332
Lear MoreCigarettes smuggled from Georgia, Northern Iraq, Bulgaria
Smuggled cigarettes arrive in Turkey from Georgia, northern Iraq and Bulgaria, while there are large sums of money being transferred from the eastern parts of Turkey to Istanbul in line with smuggling activities, according to recent data from Turkey’s financial crime investigation board (MASAK), daily Milliyet has reported.
Additionally, close ties were detected between some of the smugglers and extensions of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in Europe, according to the report.
Former police boss arrested with 1,800 illegal packets of cigarettes in La Linea
A FORMER police boss has been arrested for smuggling 1,800 illegal packets of cigarettes into Spain.
The ex-chief of La Linea local police was picked up with the contraband, which had a street value of €7,931, stuffed inside suitcases in the boot of his car. Malaga police had been monitoring the retired officer’s vehicle and made the bust after he picked up the load from a garage in La Linea.
Anti-graft panel zooms in on Sabah
From clamping down on illegal logging in Sarawak, the country’s graftbusters have moved on to Sabah, where they froze 1,623 accounts worth half a billion ringgit in a crackdown against the smuggling of subsidised diesel, cigarettes and liquor. The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) said besides the frozen accounts worth RM560mil, it seized over RM1mil in cash and jewellery in the operation codenamed “BS”. Its investigation director Datuk Mohamad Jamidin Abdullah said raids were carried out at 43 locations in Tawau, Sandakan, Keningau, Kota Kinabalu, Labuan and Semporna at the same time.
Lear MoreAlibaba Sued Over Alleged Counterfeits
BEIJING—The owner of several of the world’s best-known luxury brands has filed a fresh lawsuit against Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., the latest challenge to the Chinese e-commerce giant’s assertions that it fights the sale of counterfeit goods on its platforms.
The lawsuit, filed Friday in federal court in Manhattan by Gucci, Balenciaga, Yves Saint Laurent and other brands owned by Paris-based Kering SA, indicates that the company is unsatisfied with Alibaba’s efforts to address the problem of counterfeiting of its brands.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/alibaba-sued-over-alleged-counterfeits-1431877734
Lear MoreTobacco, the cause of fights
Raju (name changed), a 19-year-old boy, was acquitted in a murder case two months ago. “Boys inside the jail fight mostly because of tobacco. They all want to smoke and chew tobacco, and for this they can do anything. They can smuggle it inside by hiding in their stomach or other body cavities, or can fight with someone if they don’t get it,” he said.
He said that most of the fights in jail happen because of tobacco.
“Inmates have told the jail authorities many times to make tobacco available inside the jail to stop crime. They also said that if they just got tobacco, none of the drugs like heroine, cocaine and hash would be smuggled inside. But the authorities never agree to this because they are making a lot of money by smuggling tobacco to prisoners.”
http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Delhi/tobacco-the-cause-of-fights/article7215521.ece
Lear MoreAlibaba Group Holding Ltd Sued By Luxury Brands Over Counterfeit Goods In US
Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) was sued by Kering, a luxury goods company, on Friday; the group claimed that the Chinese e-commerce giant intentionally allowed sellers to sell their counterfeit goods around the globe.
Kering has sued the online-shopping giant in Manhattan Federal Court. The lawsuit includes subsidiaries of Paris-based KERING UNSP ADR (OTCMKTS:PPRUY), Yves Saint Laurent (YSL), and GUCCI GROUP NV (OTCMKTS:GUCG). The brands are seeking damages, and a sanction for alleged racketing and trademark violations.
Beware! The medicines you are buying may be fake
As India witnesses an increased incidence of communicable and non-communicable diseases every year, the drug industry is also pooling in drugs but without getting necessary approval from the government.
A recent research survey carried out by William Harvey Research Institute, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Global Health, Policy and Innovation Unit, Queen Mary University of London along with Foundation for Research in Community Health, India published in PLOS ONE journal on Tuesday has revealed that many common drugs flood the Indian market without approval of the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO).
https://in.news.yahoo.com/beware–the-medicines-you-are-buying-may-be-fake-071050751.html
Lear MoreSyrian smugglers shun weapons and turn to cigarettes for profits
They used to sneak in weapons and blackmarket oil. But now eastern Syria’s smugglers are seeking profit from a new illicit product: cigarettes.
It is forbidden under the austere religious law imposed by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, known as Isis, but smoking is a habit many Syrians find hard to break. Despite its military might and its control of nearly a third of Syria and neighbouring Iraq, Isis faces an uphill battle tackling smoking in a region where roughly 40 per cent of the population is addicted.
ABC News Investigation Into Counterfeit Prescription Drug Operations in the US
A year-long ABC News “20/20” investigation uncovered numerous operations involving the sale of dangerous counterfeit prescription drugs, many of which were sold under the guise of being authentic medication shipped in from Canada, or sold openly on the streets, Flea Markets, or retail stores in Los Angeles.
For the past year, an ABC News’ “20/20” investigation team has been working behind the scenes with U.S. Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, FBI, Los Angeles Police Department, the L.A. Sheriff’s department, among other law enforcement agents to investigate the prevalence of counterfeit goods being sold across the United States. These items range from everyday home goods such as bicycle helmets and perfumes, to more dangerous fakes, such as airbags and prescription drugs.