Sniffer dogs find counterfeit and smuggled tobacco
Sniffer dogs found counterfeit and smuggled tobacco worth more than £38,000 in a crackdown in Sandwell. Trading standards officers with Phoebe and ScampPhoebe and Scamp, the two sniffer dogs provided by BWY Canine, helped council trading standards and West Midlands Police officers uncover hidden stashes at seven premises in the borough. The operation was done as part of Sandwell’s Safer 6 campaign.
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Tobacco Smuggling Rises Explosively as Gov’t Is Set to Raise Cigarette Price
As the government’s decision to raise the cigarette prices by 80 percent from early next year has become the talk of the town, the scale of tobacco smuggling is getting bigger.
According to data submitted by the Korea Customs Service requested by Congressman BakMaeng-woo (New Frontier Party), the value of smuggled tobacco products caught at the customs rose more than 10 times to 43.69 billion won (US$40.9 million) last year from 4.09 billion won in 2011 and 3.28 billion in 2012.
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Letter: Black market in NY cigarettes
It’s time for New York leaders to wake up and listen to state law enforcement professionals: The adult smoking rate is going up because of the growing crime of cigarette smuggling in the Empire State, not because of budget cuts to anti-smoking programs [“Survey: Smoking on rise in NYC,” News, Sept. 16].
Each year investigative experts estimate that 50 percent to 60 percent of cigarettes smoked in New York City are trafficked via the black market. Smokers are spending less for contraband cigarettes than ever before, clearly going out of their way to avoid paying for the most expensive packs in America and making it easier to light up.
http://www.newsday.com/opinion/letters/letter-black-market-in-ny-cigarettes-1.9477572
Lear MoreTobacco smugglers caught entering Valencia
GUARDIA CIVIL officers have confiscated 3,500 packets of tobacco and have arrested five people at customs in the Manises airport of Valencia. Sources report that the five men, of Moldovan origin, were attempting to smuggle the cigarettes into Spain by hiding them in their luggage. According to a police statement, the men were arrested on separate occasions between September 25 and September 27 after disembarking flights from Moscow. On examination of the passengers’ baggage, a total of 3,516 packets of cigarettes of various brands were found hidden within the smugglers’ suitcases. The five men are aged between 27 and 54 and have been accused of breaking contraband laws.
Lear MoreThailand aids huge fake-goods seizure
Thai authorities cooperated with more than a half-dozen Asian and European countries in an operation that resulted in the seizure of more than 1.2 million forged goods and 130 million cigarettes over two weeks, the European Commission announced Monday.
The items, including fashion accessories, perfumes, toys, car parts and electrical items, were found during checks carried out on hundreds of containers arriving in Europe by sea.
The operation, coordinated by the EU’s anti-fraud bureau OLAF, also involved Thailand, China, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, and Russia, among others.
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Operation REPLICA: 1.2 million counterfeit goods and 130 million cigarettes seized in EU-led operation
Over 1.2 million counterfeit goods and 130 million cigarettes were seized during an international joint customs operation coordinated by the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF). The Operation, code-named REPLICA, targeted the import of counterfeit goods by sea. Under the coordination of OLAF, customs authorities carried out targeted physical or X-ray controls on several hundred selected containers. These checks uncovered a wide array of counterfeit goods including cigarettes, perfumes, car and bicycle spare parts, toys, fashion accessories and electric devices. The seizures of cigarettes alone prevented the loss of €25 million in customs duties and taxes. In fact, the amount of cigarettes seized is equivalent to what 17 000 people, smoking a packet a day, would consume in a year. In terms of overall seizures in this Operation, the value of the equivalent genuine products is estimated to be over €65 million.
http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-14-1094_en.htm
Lear MoreFake goods, 130 mln cigarettes seized in EU-led operation
BRUSSELS – Over 1.2 million counterfeit goods and 130 million cigarettes were seized during an international joint customs operation coordinated by the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF), according to a European Commission statement issued Monday. The Operation, code-named REPLICA, targeted the import of counterfeit goods by sea. Customs authorities carried out targeted physical or X-ray controls on several hundred selected containers. These checks uncovered a wide array of counterfeit goods including cigarettes, perfumes, car and bicycle spare parts, toys, fashion accessories and electric devices.
http://world.einnews.com/article/227644563/z0-HUatixoNiNktp
Lear MoreOver 1 million counterfeit goods seized in EU
BRUSSELS, Oct 6 (KUNA) — Up to 1.2 million counterfeit goods and 130 million cigarettes were seized during an international joint customs operation coordinated by the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF). The European Commission in a statement Monday said the operation, code-named REPLICA, targeted the import of counterfeit goods by sea. These checks uncovered a wide array of bogus goods including cigarettes, perfumes, car and bicycle spare parts, toys, fashion accessories and electric devices.
Operation REPLICA was organised within the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) framework as part of joint efforts in the fight against counterfeit goods. It was the first time that a Chinese Customs Liaison Officer worked from the operational headquarters at OLAF in Brussels.
http://www.kuna.net.kw/ArticleDetails.aspx?id=2400926&language=en
Lear MoreOperation REPLICA: 1.2 million counterfeit goods and 130 million cigarettes seized in EU-led operation
Over 1.2 million counterfeit goods and 130 million cigarettes were seized during an international joint customs operation coordinated by the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF). The Operation, code-named REPLICA, targeted the import of counterfeit goods by sea. Under the coordination of OLAF, customs authorities carried out targeted physical or X-ray controls on several hundred selected containers. These checks uncovered a wide array of counterfeit goods including cigarettes, perfumes, car and bicycle spare parts, toys, fashion accessories and electric devices. The seizures of cigarettes alone prevented the loss of €25 million in customs duties and taxes. In fact, the amount of cigarettes seized is equivalent to what 17 000 people, smoking a packet a day, would consume in a year. In terms of overall seizures in this Operation, the value of the equivalent genuine products is estimated to be over €65 million.
http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-14-1094_en.htm
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Personal finance tips: How to catch counterfeit goods online, and more
Three top pieces of financial advice — from protecting your credit cards to avoiding common investment errors.
How to protect your credit cards
“Ever wonder how your credit card could have been used to buy cellphones in Cleveland when you just swiped it at your grocery store an hour ago?” asked Christine DiGangi at Credit.com. It actually isn’t difficult for thieves to “manufacture fake cards” with stolen data and go on spending binges. And though it’s possible that your data might be stolen by an “ATM that has been tampered with” or a dishonest restaurant server, it’s far more likely your card will be compromised “in one of those massive data breaches you’ve been reading about recently.” You can’t prevent all theft, but you’ll be more protected by using only secure payment websites, never storing payment information in your Web browser, and checking your account activity daily.
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