Five Irish arrested by Spanish police in smuggling swoop
Five Irish nationals, a Norwegian and a Spanish lawyer have been arrested in what is understood to be a major Spanish police operation against tobacco smuggling linked to south Armagh.
The arrests are understood to include husband and wife, Donna Maguire and Leonard ‘Bap’ Hardy, who served prison sentences in Holland and Germany for their parts in IRA attacks on the Continent in the late 1980s. Hardy (54) and Maguire (57) are married with four children and live in the Mount Pleasant area of Dundalk.
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New anti-smoking weapons are needed
It is still not too late to quit. The year is still young and even if you did not start yet or have already relapsed, you can still stop smoking in 2015. Quitting cigarettes is a smart thing, of course. The more people who quit smoking, the healthier Delaware and the rest of the nation become. The trouble is that in many places, the rate of smokers is actually going up. One of the main causes, according to advocates, is not enough money is being spent on advocacy. That is, advertising and smoking-cessation programs.
Lear MoreExtras on excise: virginia is part of the cigarette smuggling problem, but also part of the solution?
Due to having one of the lowest state excise taxes for cigarettes—$0.30 for a pack of 20 cigarettes—Virginia is a very popular source for smugglers who purchase large quantities of cigarettes and then sell them illegally in states with higher taxes. The Commonwealth, however, is aware this problem exists and is looking for solutions. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has found that cigarette smuggling leads to federal and state revenue losses of between $7 and $10 billion annually, as previously reported by Bloomberg News.
http://www.bna.com/extras-excise-virginia-b17179921799/
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Birmingham UGG boots store in ‘fake scam’ after two arrested on suspicion of fraud
Two suspected fraudsters have been arrested after police swooped on a city centre Birmingham shop which had allegedly been selling fake designer UGG boots. Officers raided the store, based in the Pavilions shopping mall, following complaints from angry customers who claimed they had been ripped off. The shop, which had UGG signage, had been allowed to open at the prime city centre location just days before Christmas.
http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/birmingham-ugg-boots-store-fake-8367571
Lear MoreSouth Africa: Pakistani Businessman in Court for Cigarette Smuggling
Yesterday, 38-year-old Suid Mohammed appeared in the Lehurutshe Magistrate’s Court for trying to smuggle illicit tobacco worth more than R360 000,00 to South Africa through the Skilpadhek border post that South Africa shares with Botswana.
The Skilpadhek border police, in conjunction with the Directorate for Priority Investigation (the Hawks), arrested Muhammad in a joint, intelligence-driven operation on 27 December 2014. A total of 36 boxes, which contained cartons of illicit Pacific Blue cigarettes, were found hidden in a false compartment created in a trailer pulled by a bakkie driven by Mohammed.
http://allafrica.com/stories/201412300924.html
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Saudi seizes smuggled ‘X-Mas’ trees
Saudi customs authorities arrested two Arab men trying to smuggle Christmas trees into the conservative Gulf kingdom through its King Fahd causeway linking it with Bahrain. Officials said the trees were confiscated as they violated the country’s rules which ban celebrations on this occasion.
Sharq newspaper quoted the causeway’s director Daifallah Al Otaibi as saying legal measures would be taken against the two smugglers but he did not specify the punishment. “The punishment depends on the type of the smuggled products and whether they are for personal or commercial use,” he said.
http://www.emirates247.com/news/region/saudi-seizes-smuggled-x-mas-trees-2014-12-30-1.574976
Lear MoreRetailers fear surge in illegal cigarettes
Dismissed Customs exec Ernesto Aradanas denies link to oil smuggling
The former chief of the Bureau of Customs’ (BOC) Davao collection district has dismissed as “not true, baseless and malicious” reports on his alleged involvement in oil smuggling, among other irregularities.
Retired Army Brig. Gen. Ernesto Aradanas, who was relieved of his post on Oct. 1, has called for due process and an impartial investigation of his case.
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/659922/dismissed-customs-exec-ernesto-aradanas-denies-link-to-oil-smuggling#ixzz3NYQZftz8
Lear MoreAlibaba Spends More Than $160 Million In Fight Against Counterfeit Goods
Alibaba claims that the company has spent more than $160 million in its crusade to eliminate fake products in its e-commerce website. This figure encompasses their spending’s starting Jan 2013 until Nov of this year. The Chinese e-commerce giant has released official statement that they will be hiring an additional 200 more employees to its workforce of more than 2,000 workers in order to subdue the increasing amount of counterfeit products being sold in their website. Additionally, the company already has more than 5,400 volunteer workers who are aiding the company in its daily scrutiny of counterfeit goods.
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Dodgy Vodka and Fake Cigs: Pirated Goods Hit UK This Festive Season
Christmas drinkers have been warned to keep a close eye on their spirits this festive season, after a batch of counterfeit vodka containing potentially deadly chemicals was found in the country’s southwest.
In Devon, Somerset and Cornwall pubs, clubs, off-licences and punters have been told to report any suspicious bottles of spirits to authorities, after counterfeit Smirnoff vodka was sold to customers in the area.
http://uk.sputniknews.com/uk/20141225/1013319257.html
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