The Growth of Counterfeiting
Systech International is a global leader in brand protection and authentication technologies serving a wide variety of industries ranging from pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical devices to food and beverage and healthcare. It has pioneered many of the advances that have become industry standards, and understands the threats to global supply chains and the consequences of brand protection. David DeJean, Vice President, Systech International offers an insight into the growing world of counterfeiting.
http://www.packagingeurope.com/Packaging-Europe-News/61404/The-Growth-of-Counterfeiting.html
Lear MoreCustoms office steps up crackdown on tobacco smuggling
South Korea’s customs office said Monday that it will beef up monitoring and crackdown on tobacco smuggling amid growing demand for cheaper cigarettes ahead of a sharp price hike slated to be effective starting next year.
The moves come as the government is to raise tobacco prices by 2,000 won (US$1.78) per pack starting on Jan. 1, the first increase since December 2004. It represents an almost 80-percent increase in the average per-pack price in Korea.
According to the Korea Customs Service (KCS), the agency will strengthen its monitoring on shipments of duty-free cigarettes intended for exports as they could be routed back to the domestic market through fake documentation.
http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20141208000660
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Gambian diplomats convicted in UK embassy tobacco racket
A group of Gambian diplomats were convicted on Monday for ordering 26 tonnes of tobacco supposedly for personal consumption to then sell it illegally from their London embassy to queues of buyers.
YusuphaBojang, the deputy head of the Gambian Diplomatic Mission in London, and his six co-defendants were found guilty of cheating the British state out of £4.8 million ($7.5 million, 6.1 million euros) in unpaid tax over a three-year period.
http://news.yahoo.com/gambian-diplomats-convicted-uk-embassy-tobacco-racket-221342891.html
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Southwest provinces struggle against border smuggling
VietNamNet Bridge – Authorized agencies have found it tough to fight against smuggling traditionally flourishing by the end of every year along the southwest border in Vietnam.
ThuongThoiHau B Commune, Hong Ngu District, Dong Thap Province sharing the river border with Cambodia is one of the busiest places of illicit goods in the Mekong Delta.Along the riverside in Cambodia a lot of warehouses contain illegal commodities. They will be transported across the river by motorboats to the Vietnamese side, where motorbikes are always ready to receive goods.
Smuggled goods have run through VinhNguon Ward, Chau Doc District, AnGiang Province adjacent to Takeo Province in Cambodia.
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New Evidence: Plain Packaging Drives Up Tobacco Sales In Australia
New evidence has emerged showing a marked increase in youth smoking and tobacco smuggling rates in Australia, following the introduction of plain packaging two years ago. Remarkably, the volume of cigarettes sold also went up for the first time in decades. Despite the damning evidence, anti-smoking campaigners have claimed victory with the measure, calling for it to be introduced in the UK.
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Cigarette smuggling up nation-wide
VietNamNet Bridge – Lack of cooperation between the coast guard, police, market watchdogs and local governments have all contributed to an increase in cigarette smuggling, experts have warned.
Other factors that have caused a dramatic rise in smuggled cigarettes include cumbersome administrative procedures, outdated laws, poor equipment and limited human resources.”Cigarette smuggling is happening all around the country and has had a negative impact on the economy,” said Lieutenant General Phan Van Vinh, head of the Public Security Ministry’s Police General Department for Crime Prevention.
Vinh spoke at a conference held in HCM City on Tuesday, Dec 2, on “Implementing the Prime Minister’s Order No 30/CT-TTg on increasing the fight against smuggled cigarettes”.
http://english.vietnamnet.vn/fms/society/117884/cigarette-smuggling-up-nation-wide.html
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Sarawak customs man caught smuggling cigarettes into Brunei
A Sarawak customs department official was caught by Brunei authorities on Monday for attempting to smuggle 350 cartons of cigarettes into the country. The driver of the Customs Department was detained by Brunei Customs at the Kuala Lurah Customs branch on the border Brunei/Sarawak border in Limbang, Sarawak after a check on the official customs vehicle found several boxes containing cigarettes of various brands. A report by The Borneo Post said the case involved a 50-year-old suspect who was nabbed on his way from Miri to Limbang.
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Politicians debate relationship of cigarette taxes, smuggling
The team of police officers that wrestled Eric Garner to the ground last July in Staten Island, N.Y., were arresting him for what seems like a mundane offense: selling illegal cigarettes.
The racially tinged death of Garner puts a fresh spotlight on the little-publicized underworld of cigarette smuggling — and the argument over whether high cigarette taxes deter smoking or simply encourage the illicit trade.
http://www.newstimes.com/local/article/Politicians-debate-relationship-of-cigarette-5936139.php
Lear MoreFormer Essex County prosecutor admits role in jail smuggling plot
A former Essex County prosecutor pleaded guilty Wednesday to scheming with others to smuggle marijuana and tobacco into the Essex County Jail. Brian Kapalin, 67, an attorney from Maplewood, faces up to five years in prison when he is sentenced on March 18, 2015. He pleaded guilty to a single count of conspiring to smuggle contraband into a federal facility during an appearance before U.S. District Court Judge Mary Cooper. Federal prosecutors say that between September 2013 and May 2014, Kapalin received packages of marijuana and tobacco from Vladimir Sauzereseteo, 40, of East Orange.
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YPB Group raises $1.65M to grow online anti-counterfeiting business
Anti-counterfeiting technology company YPB Group (ASX:YPB) has raised $1.65 million to accelerate the growth of its online Brand Reporter business. The funds were raised through a placement of 5.5 million shares priced at $0.30 each. This represents a 8.5% discount to its Volume Weighted Average Price for 20 trading days prior to the placement. In September, the company acquired US-based anti-counterfeit App and online business Brand Reporter.
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