MMEA Labuan Destroys Contraband Cigarettes, Liquor Worth RM700,000
The Labuan Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) disposed contraband cigarettes and liquor worth about RM700,000 Wednesday.The 310 boxes of cigarettes and 135 boxes of liquor were among goods seized along with a cargo vessel ‘New Prime Line’ with its total value estimated at RM2.8 million.MMEA Labuan enforcement chief Capt (Maritime) Che Adnan Md Isa said the seizure was the biggest haul by MMEA Labuan, last year.
http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v8/ge/newsgeneral.php?id=1115925
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18 people accused of £1m cigarette smuggling racket appear in court
EIGHTEEN people appeared in court today over what prosecutors say was a huge-scale evasion of duty on cigarettes and hand-rolling tobacco.It is alleged some of the team of people ran the plot to bring the contraband goods into the region while others acted as distributors.The tobacco – which would have had £1m duty payable – was delivered to various addresses via post and courier services from overseas.
Lack of anti-counterfeit law hampers fight against fake goods
The absence of the Anti-Counterfeiting Bill has slowed down punitive action against comapanies involved in production of counterfeit products, inspite of the vast powers that the new UNBS Act holds on penalties.Several businesses today are contending with huge losses as a result of loss of business to traders and manufacturers of counterfeit products.
Lear MoreHere’s How to Spot the Difference Between Real and Fake Designer Bags
Can you spot the fake Birkin above with just a glance*? Natalie Wyll and Alexa Ridolfi, the sisters who run A Second Chance Resale, do that for a living, thanks to a $600 billion counterfeit industry. Along with their mother, who founded the Upper East Side store before expanding to Soho’s West Broadway, they’ve become experts at authenticating and valuing designer handbags—especially for the Big Three brands.
http://ny.racked.com/2015/3/10/8182935/fake-handbags
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Fake Apple Watch Already Selling In China For Just $40
It underscores the amazing speed at which Chinese counterfeiters can bring clones to the market. Chinese fake goods manufacturers seem to be far more efficient than Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL). The Cupertino company first showcased its Apple Watch in September last year, and held a special event six months later on March 9 to provide more details about its wearable device. Interested customers will still have to wait for more than a month to get Apple Watch as it will be available for sale on April 24.
http://www.valuewalk.com/2015/03/fake-apple-watch-in-china/
Lear MoreCivil Defence Arrests 7 Fake Petroleum Product Dealers In Akwa Ibom
The Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has arrested seven persons for allegedly transporting fake petroleum products to Akwa Ibom and Kano States. Mr Pedro Ideba, The Akwa Ibom State Commandant of the corps, Mr Pedro Ideba, made the disclosure while speaking with newsmen in Uyo on Tuesday. Ideba said that the suspects were picked up at Ibagwa when they were heading to Kano with the adulterated product.
Lear MoreOp-ed: The five consumer groups buying fake brands in China—and what to do about them
Associate Professor in Marketing Lars Bergkvist at the University of Nottingham in Ningbo and Li Wanzhen at the EDHEC Business School explain why knockoff goods remain a resilient draw for so many of China’s consumers. Fake brands are still ubiquitous in China, on sale in well-known places such as the Silk Market in Beijing and the “fake market” on West Nanjing road in Shanghai. In the streets touts try to lure punters into “secret” shops, and there are countless online outlets offering shoppers “replica” products. Fake brands cost the makers of luxury and other branded products billions of dollars every year in lost sales and, more importantly, in eroded brand equity as those who are knocked-off become less attractive to consumers.
Lear MoreWA cigarette smuggling could increase under Inslee tax
Nearly one-third of Washington’s potential cigarette tax revenues were lost to smuggling or tax evasion in the 2013 fiscal year, according to estimates by the state Department of Revenue. Gov. Jay Inslee is proposing to increase the state’s cigarette taxes by 50 cents per pack. Washington state has steadily raised its cigarette taxes in the last 20 years as a means to both curb smoking and raise revenue.At the same time, though, something else has gone up: The rate at which people evade the tax by buying cigarettes out of state or online.Nearly one-third of Washington’s potential cigarette tax revenues were lost to smuggling or tax evasion in the 2013 fiscal year, according to estimates by the state Department of Revenue.
Lear MoreCourt Remands Man In Prison For Counterfeiting Alomo Bitters
Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court in Lagos on Tuesday remanded a Lagos based businessman, Akintunde Smith in prison custody for counterfeiting Alomo Bitters. The judge have the order after Akintunde was arraigned by National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control ( NAFDAC) on a three count charge of manufacturing processed food without registration.
The suspect, who pleaded not guilty to the charge, was not represented by a lawyer in court.
Lear MoreChinese government pledges to step up crackdown on selling fake goods online
The State Administration for Industry and Commerce has pledged to intensify the crackdown on the sales of fake products online in China.The remarks by the regulator’s head, Zhang Mao, came after a high-profile spat between the government body and the e-commerce giant Alibaba earlier this year.“Market order can only be regulated if we increase the penalties for selling fake goods, making traders who sell such goods unable to continue operations, or go bankrupt,” Zhang said during a press briefing at the National People’s Congress in Beijing today.