Seizures of cash linked to organised crime reach record high
Money linked to cigarette gangs accounts for half forfeiture orders in courts in 2013
The number of seizures of cash linked to organised crime has reached record levels and large seizures are increasingly being linked to the black market cigarette trade. Revenue’s customs officers in June seized the largest amount of cash ever found in the State, with some €300,000 worth of euro, sterling, Canadian and US dollars found in one operation.
The gang involved specialised in cigarette smuggling. Figures obtained by The Irish Times reveal in the first eight months of the year there were 43 seizures of cash in the State, almost as many as the record 48 seizures for the full year in 2012. Five years ago, there were just 15 seizures. Revenue sources said some of the money was being taken out of the State to buy 40ft containers of cigarettes to be smuggled in. Some cost 50 cent a pack and were resold on the black market at €4.50 or half the recommended retail price. Under changes to the Proceeds of Crime Act, Revenue can seize cash it suspects is linked to any form of crime, and not just the drug trade, as was the case before. The legislation is proving particularly effective against cigarette gangs, with cash linked to that trade this year accounting for half of the forfeiture orders. These orders are needed to permanently retain seized money. “When we move against the cigarette gangs we are more likely to find larger sums of money than when we seize drugs, but a few years ago it would have been the other way around,” said one Revenue source.
Gucci wins $144 million in US counterfeit trial
New York City — Gucci on Thursday welcomed a US court’s decision to award the global fashion empire $144.2 million in damages from online sellers of counterfeit merchandise. A list of 155 domain names, sued for selling and promoting counterfeit Gucci merchandise, were ordered to shut down or surrender to Gucci within 30 days. Gucci filed the lawsuit earlier this year, accusing the online sellers of counterfeiting and cybersquatting. The court on Wednesday ruled in Gucci’s favor. The websites copied Gucci campaign advertisements, logos, product images and descriptions from official websites, and many also used Gucci in their domain name. The sites were registered in Britain, Canada, the Cocos Islands, France, Italy, Japan and the United States. Gucci president and CEO Patrizio di Marco welcomed the judgment and said the company would continue to fight against counterfeiting across the globe. The websites exploited “Gucci’s unique creativity which has been harmful to Gucci?s image, business and well-known trademark reputation for creating high quality artisanal ‘Made in Italy’ products,” the firm said.
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Counterfeit goods worth N$12m seized
WINDHOEK – A two-day Interpol operation that combed through Namibia, Botswana, South Africa, Malawi and Zambia seized counterfeit products in excess of N$12 million. The seized goods comprised of pirated toys, cigarettes, electrical chargers, shavers, CDs, DVD players, sports wear, as well as laptops with pirated Microsoft software. In Namibia alone, Interpol seized 4 860 cartons of fake ‘Yes’ cigarettes. Interpol had codenamed the sting ‘Operation Kalahari’ and it took place on September 12 and 13, with the involvement of the country’s police, customs and prosecutors. Interpol said the operation succeeded in targeting many locations including well-established shops where both fake and genuine products were sold side by side. “[The operation] shows that any product can and will be counterfeited by criminals and sold to an unsuspecting public,” Francoise Dorcier, the Criminal Intelligence Officer with Interpol’s Trafficking in Illicit Goods and Counterfeiting Programme, which coordinated the operation, said in a statement.
http://www.newera.com.na/2013/10/17/counterfeit-goods-worth-n12m-seized/
Lear MorePolice hunt for men who stole cigarettes from Preston tobacco shop
POLICE are searching for seven men who broke into a Melbourne shopping centre and stole a large amount of cigarettes. Investigators have been told the group of men, who had hooded tops covering their faces, broke into the Murray Road shopping centre in Preston at 2.20am. The offenders targeted a tobacco shop within the centre and loaded the stolen goods into a silver car before driving off. Police are appealing for witnesses and are keen to speak to the driver of a white van that was seen in the car park at time of the incident. Anyone with any information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or visit www.crimestoppers.com.au
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Brothers jailed for smuggling contraband shisha tobacco
Two brothers were jailed at the Old Bailey this afternoon after customs officers mounted their biggest ever investigation into contraband shisha tobacco. They attempted to smuggle more than 5.8 tonnes into the country which would have cost the Government more than £500,000 in lost tax. The two brothers, Mahfouz and Sayyeduz Chowdhury from Camden had disguised the tobacco from Dubai as Arabian incense. The Customs operation started in April 2012, after UK Border Force officers at Tilbury docks discovered 2.2 tonnes of Shisha in a consignment from Dubai in 2,200 packages with false labels. The consignment was destined for a shisha café in Kilburn operated by Sahara Lounge Ltd run by the Chowdhurys.
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Genetically Modified Tobacco Plants Are Viable for Producing Biofuels
In her PhD thesis Ruth Sanz-Barrio, an agricultural engineer of the NUP/UPNA-Public University of Navarre and researcher at the Institute of Biotechnology (mixed centre of the CSIC-Spanish National Research Council, Public University of Navarre and the Government of Navarre), has demonstrated, for the first time, the viability of using specific tobacco proteins (known as thioredoxins) as biotechnological tools in plants. Specifically, she has managed to increase the amount of starch produced in the tobacco leaves by 700% and fermentable sugars by 500%. “We believe that these genetically modified plants,” she explained, “could be a good alternative to food crops for producing biofuels, and could provide an outlet for the tobacco-producing areas in our country that see their future in jeopardy owing to the discontinuing of European grants for this crop.”
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Column: Shake off that ‘fake’ addiction
In 2005, the Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) estimated that international trade in counterfeit and pirated products was nearly $200 billion. A study by Business Action to Stop Counterfeiting and Piracy, which is under the International Chamber of Commerce in 2008 estimated the impact of smuggled/counterfeited products on the G-20 economies to be a staggering $455-650 billion. It has been projected that by 2015 the impact of smuggled and counterfeited goods will be between $1,220-1,770 billion. This is a serious issue and it will take concerted action by the society and the government to deal with this growing menace.
The Indian economy is growing at a fast pace, but as is apparent, so is the menace of smuggling and counterfeiting. The socio-economic impact of these anti-social activities in seven critical Indian sectors namely auto components, alcohol, computer hardware, fast-moving consumer goods, mobile phones and tobacco. While illegal trade in auto components causes a loss of R9,198 crore to the industry, other figures are equally worrisome. The loss is R5,626 crore in alcohol, R4,725 crore in computer hardware, over R35,000 crore in FMCG (which includes both personal and packaged goods), R9,042 crore in mobile phones and R8,965 crore in tobacco. The total loss calculated from all sectors in 2012 alone is nearly R73,000 crore.
http://www.financialexpress.
Interpol seizes illicit drugs in African campaign
The largest Interpol operation to date against pharmaceutical crime across Southern Africa has resulted in the seizure of almost 100 tonnes of illicit and counterfeit medicines, with 181 suspects arrested or placed under investigation. Operation Giboia saw more than 900 officers from the five participating countries – Angola, Malawi, Swaziland, Tanzania and Zambia – take part in some 550 coordinated raids and inspections of marketplaces, pharmacies and clinics, as well as illicit care centres and outlets, in around 30 cities and border points. The seized illicit and counterfeit medicines, both branded and generic, are estimated to be worth approximately $3.5m, said Interpol in a press statement. The seized products included illicit and counterfeit versions of antibiotics, birth control, anti-malarial and analgesic medicines. Diverted and expired medical products were also identified. The key objectives of Operation Giboia were to identify, investigate and disrupt criminal networks involved in pharmaceutical crime, and to raise public awareness of the risks of fake medicines and other related pharmaceutical crimes.
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Sniffing out fake perfume
Swiss scientists have developed an analytical ‘nose’ that can differentiate between genuine and fake perfume products. The technique – known as electrostatic spray ionization (ESTASI) – can analyse and identify counterfeit perfumes faster than conventional methods, according to the researchers from the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL). “The perfume market is growing significantly, and it is easy to find imitative fragrances of probably all types of perfume,” say the researchers, who used their technique to analyse six fragrances from well-known manufacturers including Givenchy, Hermes and D&G. Fake fragrances are usually of lower quality than authentic ones, which can damage the reputation of perfume companies and cost the cosmetic industry and consumers “significant amounts of money,” they write in the journal Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry (RCMS). Using ESTASI, the commercial fragrances were analysed and compared to a ‘model’ perfume made up of 10 different compounds. The results showed that the new method was able to quickly distinguish between authentic perfumes and a mock counterfeit.
http://www.securingindustry.com/cosmetics-and-personal-care/sniffing-out-fake-perfume/s106/a1850/
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Seizures of illegal cigarettes reach 15-year low
Hauls of cigarettes are smaller and better concealed as drugs gangs professionalise smuggling.
Seizures of counterfeit and smuggled cigarettes have plummeted in the Republic this year as gangs involved in the drugs trade have moved into the area and enjoyed considerable success in evading detection. If trends witnessed in the first eight months of the year are maintained until the end of 2013, seizures will be at their lowest levels for a decade and a half and will have fallen by two-thirds on the €95 million to €110 million seen in recent years. This is despite the fact that demand for illegal cigarettes remains at all-time highs, with smokers keen to source packets of 20 for around half the price of a packet on sale in legitimate retailers. Interceptions are taking place more infrequently than before and involve smaller quantities, despite the Revenue Commissioner’s own research that the black market trade remains steady at around 13 per cent of the total cigarette sales market in Ireland.
http://www.irishtimes.com/seizures-of-illegal-cigarettes-reach-15-year-low-1.1552183
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