How to Avoid Buying Fake Herbal Supplements
Some popular herbal supplements sold at chain retailers don’t contain the herb they tout and contain other substances not labeled, according to DNA testing commissioned by New York State’s attorney general. A.G. Eric Schneiderman has sent “cease & desist” letters to four major retailers – GNC, Target, Walmart and Walgreens – ordering them to stop selling certain popular products, including Echinacea, Ginseng, St. John’s Wort, and others until they could “provide detailed information relating to the production, processing and testing of herbal supplements sold at their stores, as well as set forth a thorough explanation of quality control measures in place,” a statement said.
http://www.care2.com/greenliving/how-to-avoid-buying-fake-herbal-supplements.html#ixzz3RKcTAD4l
Lear MoreNo ‘restricted areas’ in combating smuggling: Deputy PM
Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc stressed that there are no ‘restricted areas’ in preventing and combating smuggling when he urged the authorities of the northern province of Quang Ninh to step up their fight against illicit trade.
Deputy PM Phuc, who is also the head of the National Steering Committee on the Prevention and Control of Smuggling, Trade Fraud and Fake Commodities, made the emphasis while he was speaking to local officials during his overseeing trip to border gates and border guard stations in the province on Tuesday.
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Customs raids target €145m cigarette manufacturing ring
A cross-Border raid on properties connected to an organised smuggling outfit has resulted in the seizure of a tobacco processing plant, millions of cigarettes and a sizeable quantity of cash.
The raid on the estimated €145 million operation was carried out on Tuesday morning and was jointly conducted by the Revenue’s Customs Service and Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs, with the support of gardaí and the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI).
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Turkey 2nd in world for counterfeit product volume, report
The total volume of counterfeit or pirated products in the Turkish market is worth 10.8 billion US dollars, making it the second largest in the world after China, the Cihan news agency reported. A recent survey published by the Business Action to Stop Counterfeiting and Piracy (Bascap), an initiative of the International Chamber of Commerce, has indicated that the aforementioned number does not include smuggled fuel and tobacco products, which have a total market value of approximately USD 10 billion. Therefore, Cihan noted, the total figure for all fake and smuggled goods stands above USD 20 billion.
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Increases in tobacco tax opposed by businesses
Retailers and distributors urged state lawmakers Tuesday to snuff out a bill that would raise North Dakota’s tobacco taxes for the first time in 22 years, warning it could have a “devastating” impact on businesses, spur cigarette smuggling and unfairly burden smokers who can least afford it.
Backers of the $1.10-per-pack increase in House Bill 1421 said it will put North Dakota on par with the national average, save millions in avoided health care costs, prevent young people from starting smoking and give adults the incentive they need to quit.
2m cigarettes seized in Northern Ireland raids
Around 2m cigarettes have been seized in a raid on a tobacco processing plant in Northern Ireland.
Customs officers and police arrested five people in an operation targeting a smuggling racket that Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs suspects may be worth around £110m. The Police Service of Northern Ireland and HMRC said 12 tonnes of raw tobacco and £50,000 were also found during the operation.
http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/feb/04/cigarettes-seized-northern-ireland-raids
Lear MoreCross-border raids target gangsters in £110m cigarettes racket
Twelve tonnes of raw tobacco, two million cigarettes, £50,000 in cash and a tobacco processing plant were seized on this side of the border.
Two highly-trained tobacco and cash detection dogs – Harvey and Meg – helped Irish Revenue officers seize 334,000 ‘Minsk’ and ‘NZ’ brand cigarettes with a retail value of €167,000 (£126,450) in the Republic. Four men and a woman were arrested by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) officers backed up by the PSNI as they searched nine addresses in Down, Tyrone and Armagh yesterday in one of the biggest clampdowns of its kind seen here.
Chiefs of Police conference at Amway looks at police crashes, counterfeiting, other issues
GRAND RAPIDS, MI — Police crashes during emergency responses, product counterfeiting and cutting false-alarm responses are among the topics at this year’s annual police chief’s conference in Grand Rapids.About 400 police chiefs and top police administrators around Michigan are gathering this week at the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel for an array of seminars and speakers.
http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2015/02/chiefs_of_police_conference_at.html
Lear MoreTurkey 2nd in world for counterfeit product volume, report
The total volume of counterfeit or pirated products in the Turkish market is worth 10.8 billion US dollars, making it the second largest in the world after China, the Cihan news agency reported. A recent survey published by the Business Action to Stop Counterfeiting and Piracy (Bascap), an initiative of the International Chamber of Commerce, has indicated that the aforementioned number does not include smuggled fuel and tobacco products, which have a total market value of approximately USD 10 billion. Therefore, Cihan noted, the total figure for all fake and smuggled goods stands above USD 20 billion.
Alibaba Chairman Jack Ma meets Chinese regulator over fight against fake products
The head of China’s commerce regulator met with Alibaba chairman Jack Ma on Friday to discuss combating fake products, the official Xinhua news agency reported, with the two adopting a conciliatory tone after a row over illegal business on the Internet company’s platforms.
The meeting took place the same day the regulator, the State Administration for Industry and Commerce (SAIC), backtracked on an earlier report that had excoriated the Chinese online commerce company for not doing enough to suppress counterfeiting on its websites.