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Other factors that have caused a dramatic rise in smuggled cigarettes include cumbersome administrative procedures, outdated laws, poor equipment and limited human resources.”Cigarette smuggling is happening all around the country and has had a negative impact on the economy,” said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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Maplewood Attorney Confesses to Smuggling Contraband into Essex County Jail
The local attorney pled guilty to smuggling marijuana and tobacco into the jail in exchange for cash payments of $500 a package. An attorney from Maplewood, New Jersey, today admitted his involvement in a scheme to smuggle contraband, including marijuana and tobacco, into the Essex County Jail, a federal pretrial detention facility, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
Brian Kapalin, 67, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Mary L. Cooper to an information charging him with one count of conspiring to smuggle contraband into a federal detention facility.
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Virginia crime panel endorses cigarette licensing
RICHMOND—Virginia lawmakers should license retailers to sell cigarettes to clamp down on smuggling from the state with the second-lowest tobacco tax in the nation, a commission recommended Tuesday. The Virginia State Crime Commission voted 8–5 to endorse cigarette licensing and have the Alcoholic Beverage Control Department enforce it. The panel also backed measures to improve the effectiveness of search-and-rescue efforts. It also postponed until next year a decision on whether to make texting of sexually explicit photos by teenagers a misdemeanor.
Commission endorsements carry weight but do not guarantee legislative approval. The cigarette proposal likely faces long odds in a House of Delegates dominated by conservative Republicans averse to increased state regulation. GOP House members on the commission voted against the measure. Thirty-six other states require cigarette retailers to obtain a license.
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Special task force set up to tackle fake cigarette smuggling
A new task force has been set up to tackle the gangs who are netting millions of pounds through smuggling and selling counterfeit cigarettes. The trade in illicit tobacco is becoming increasingly big business for organised criminals. While those who buy it may think they are getting a bargain, they could be putting themselves in serious danger.
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