Duplicate cement seized
Police seized 1.5 tonnes of duplicate cement packed in 300 bags and arrested the driver of the truck carrying it at Chagharia Chowk on NH-5(A) under Kendrapara Sadar police limits on Wednesday night. Sources said a racket selling duplicate cement is operational in Kendrapara and its nearby areas. The gang uses bags of reputed companies to fool customers and sell the cement at a lower rate, said Tapas Pradhan, IIC of Kendrapara Sadar police station. Following a tip-off from a trader a Marsaghai -bound truck that was unloading such cement at various places was stopped and taken to police station. The driver could not produce papers to show that the cement bags were of a particular company, added the police officer. The driver used to bring such cement from Jagatapur to be sold in Kendrapara and its nearby areas.
Lear More‘Fake fragrances [in Dubai] damage brands’
The scent of counterfeit fragrances could create a stink for big brands in the UAE, according to a retail branding expert. Some Dubai stores are playing on the popularity of tech giants Samsung, BlackBerry and facebook, and luxury auto maker Bentley, by selling fragances carrying logos of the leading firms. “This is definitely not a good thing for the brands because they don’t know the contents of the bottles, and whatever is in them is out of their control,” said Ashish Panjabi, COO of Jacky’s. Panjabi, whose multi-brand retail chain has received ‘Superbrand’ status for eight consecutive years since 2004 from the UAE Superbrands Council, added: “Most perfumes contain chemicals, but we don’t know if these fakes contain any toxic or expired substances. If users end up having any health implications, that’s really not something a brand wants their name to be associated with.” Panjabi was not surprised, however, that imitators are cashing in on the popular names, pointing out that luxury brands such as Bentley – one of names being used by counterfeiters – would hardly want their posh motor linked to a low-cost spray. Asked what he would do if he saw a ‘Jacky’s perfume’ come on the market, he said: “We would take immediate action as we have a registered trademark.”
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Global crackdown seizes fake drugs worth $41 million
A worldwide police crackdown has seized a record $41-million haul of illegal pharmaceuticals being sold online. Nearly half of the 9.9 million doses of illegal drugs were seized in the UK. The UK’s Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said the haul involved drugs for slimming, hair loss and erectile dysfunction. Worldwide, the haul included more potentially life-threatening counterfeits, such as antibiotics and antivirals, and drugs for breast cancer, asthma, diabetes and epilepsy. The crackdown, called Pangea VI, was the sixth and biggest in an annual series organised by Interpol. It saw 99 countries netting nearly three times as many counterfeit pills as last year’s crackdown, with four times the value. Some 10,000 online pharmacies were shut down, and 58 people arrested, after Interpol tracked them via internet service providers, online payment systems, postal inspections and police raids. Most of the UK haul was made up of “unlicensed” drugs. These can be authentic pills, repackaged to conceal the fact that they are outdated, stolen, made by a manufacturer other than the one on the label or were intended for sale in other countries. Only 2.6 per cent of the 3.7 million pills seized in the UK in the latest sweep were outright fakes, says the MHRA – mock-ups of commercial brands minus the active ingredients.
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn23769-global-crackdown-seizes-fake-drugs-worth-41-million.html
Lear MoreOver 1 million fake printing supplies seized in UAE raids
HP today announced that its Anti-counterfeit Program in EMEA (Europe, Middle-East, Africa) has supported law enforcement officials in the UAE in the largest single seizure of counterfeit HP products to date. The raids on counterfeiters followed an investigation by HP, leading to the confiscation of more than one million fake printer cartridges and components. During simultaneous raids on five premises across Ajman and Dubai in April 2013, officials confiscated around 150,000 laser print cartridges, 100,000 fake cartridge boxes, nearly 50,000 security labels and over 750,000 empty print cartridges. “HP welcomes this momentous seizure, which strikes a significant blow against the production and distribution of illicit printing supplies by criminal organisations in the Middle East,” said David Cooper, Director HP Global Anti-counterfeiting Program. “It is encouraging to see that our support led directly to the largest seizure of fake items since we began the Anti-counterfeiting Program in 2006.” Rami Kamel, representative for the Ajman Police Unit, said: “This seizure demonstrates our determination to protect consumers from illegal products which trick them out of money. If they work at all, counterfeit cartridges provide poor results and may damage your printer, leading to costly repairs or replacement. We appreciate HP’s assistance and applaud their continued investigation of counterfeiting activity which helps us to find and prosecute criminals.” Such actions help to prevent the spread of illegal fakes throughout the Middle East and beyond. During the raids, officials gained valuable insight into counterfeiting networks which will be used for further investigations to protect honest traders and their customers.
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Man pleads guilty to selling counterfeit goods at KCK store
A man has pleaded guilty to selling counterfeit goods at a store in Kansas City, Kan., including shoes labeled as Nike Air Force 1 and shirts labeled as Polo Ralph Lauren, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said today. Jehad Shalabi, 45, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to traffic in counterfeit trademark goods. During a hearing today, prosecutors told the judge that Shalabi sold counterfeit goods at a retail store called Joe Black, Inc., at 3201 State Ave. in Kansas City, Kan. Agents of the FBI made undercover purchases at the store including a counterfeit trademark pair of Nike Air Force 1 shoes on Feb. 22, 2011, and a counterfeit trademark Polo Ralph Lauren knit shirt on June 9, 2011. On June 30, 2011, Shalabi sold a counterfeit trademark NBA Chicago Bulls hat. On June 28, 2011, agents served a search warrant at the store and seized approximately 588 counterfeit items with trademarks including Polo Ralph Lauren, Nike, Major League Baseball, Nervous Tattoo (Ed Hardy and Christian Audigier), Luxirie, Rocawear and Coogi. Investigators learned that counterfeit goods made up approximately 20 percent of the store’s weekly sales of $4,000 to $6,000. Sentencing is set for Oct. 9. Shalabi faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. Grissom commended the FBI, ICE-HSI, the Kansas City, Kan., Police Department and Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Rask for their work on the case.
http://www.kckansan.com/2013/06/man-pleads-guilty-to-selling.html
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Fake fertiliser racket busted; accused points finger towards TN
A detailed probe has established that a systematic network from Tamil Nadu is behind the sale of fake fertiliser in the State. After the sale of fake potash came to light at Hanubalu cooperative society, the accused Mallikarjun of Nittur was subjected to interrogation. He spilled the beans over the sale of fake fertiliser racket in the State, which he said was being operated from Tamil Nadu.
The sale of fake fertiliser has given sleepless nights to the farmers, who were already reeling under various problems including that of wild jumbo menace and insufficient rains. The sale of fake potash to farmers from Agriculture Credit Cooperative Society in Hanubalu and at Changadihalli, Belur and Narve villages had come to light recently. Three persons from Belur and four from the taluks are already in judicial custody.Assistant Director of Agriculture department G H Yogesh, who is conducting the probe said that the fake product was supplied from Tamil Nadu to Mallikarjuna of Nittur, which was in turn supplied to Naganna of Yaduru village in Alur taluk. This was transported to the cooperative associations and a few shops through locals Virupaksha and Milan Gowda, and was sold to gullible farmers. Yogesh had visited Vaniyambadi in Vellore district in Tamil Nadu, where fake potash was being produced for verification. According to him, there are several leather factories in Vaniyambadi, where salt is being used for processing and preventing leather from decaying. The miscreants after collecting the discarded salt, sieve it and mix it with red oxide and red colour and prepare fake potash.
http://www.deccanherald.com/content/338990/fake-fertiliser-racket-busted-accused.html
Lear MoreKOHLER Raids Counterfeit Center, Destroys Over 700 Products
Under the patronage of Dubai’s Department of Economic Development’s (DED) Commercial Control and Consumer Protection Division, kitchen and bath industry giant KOHLER Middle East has succeeded in seizing and destroying over 700 counterfeit products located at a major furniture store in the Emirate. The sanitary products labeled “KOHLAR” were traced back to a company which refused to disclose the name of the manufacturer. Local authorities fined the company $13,859 and ordered the destruction of all of its creations. Investigations are underway to determine the identity of the manufacturer, possibly a sanitary ware company headquartered in China. “In addition to these practices being harmful to the market, the products present a degree of risk for their purchaser,” Jerome Michel, Kohler EMEA Managing Director, said. “However, customers who buy the real products know the difference,” he explained. The raid is part of KOHLER’s ongoing efforts to protect its intellectual property rights and consistently monitor its products in the market. The industry pioneer adopts a zero-tolerance policy towards counterfeit products to guarantee consumer protection. Mohamed Nada, KOHLER Regional Marketing Manager, said: “We always go to great lengths in ensuring that our customers receive top quality products. Hence, we were adamant on tracing the source of these products and completely destroying them.” “The operation has been implemented with the highly appreciated and continuous support of DED’s Commercial Control and Consumer Protection Division,” he added.
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NYC debates crackdown on counterfeit luxury goods
Bargain hunters from around the world flock to Manhattan’s Chinatown for bags, jewellery and other accessories bursting onto sidewalks from storefronts along Canal Street. Among the goods are luxury items labelled “Prada” or “Louis Vuitton” or some other luxury brand — counterfeits sold for a pittance. In some cases, handbags going for $2,000 on Fifth Avenue can be had downtown for, say, $20. They’re seductive fakes. Until now, the law enforcement focus has been on catching the sellers. But if a proposed bill passes the City Council, customers caught buying counterfeits could be punished with a fine of up to $1,000, or up to a year in prison. The New York City legislation, if passed, would be the first in the United States to criminalize the purchase of counterfeits. Council member Margaret Chin, who introduced the bill, said at a public hearing Thursday that counterfeits deprive the city of at least $1 billion in tax revenue a year that could support community improvements. What’s more, she says, the counterfeit trade has been linked to child labour and the funding of organized crime and terror groups. “For tourists, it’s fun, it’s a bit of adventure,” Chin says. “We have to let people know that if you engage in this activity you are committing a crime.” On the street, day after day, sellers press their hard-sell routines. “Rolex! Chanel!” a man on a street corner whispers someone walking by. “Get this before the police do!” he adds with a grin.
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Cops book supermarket for selling fake cosmetics
Multinational consumer goods company Procter & Gamble (P&G) and city police conducted a joint raid at Apna Bhandar, a supermarket at Mahajan market in Sitabuldi, on Saturday. Police registered an offence against the store management for copyrights violation after fake products of the brand were found to have been sold by the store. Following a complaint from a consumer, P&G approached Sitabuldi police for conducting a raid on the supermarket which had put up several fake products of the multinational cosmetic brand. Several fake products of the multinational company were found on display and in the stock at the supermarket. The supermarket also had several fake P&G products which the brand does not manufacture. Three cartons of the bogus merchandize and some items which had been put up for sale were seized by the cops, which later registered an offence after receiving a formal
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Missouri company pleads guilty to importing $1.8 million in products with counterfeit safety labels
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Missouri company pleaded guilty in federal court Monday to importing thousands of lamps from China bearing counterfeit safety certification labels. This guilty plea is the result of an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) GuildMaster, Inc., of Springfield, Mo., represented in court by company president Stephen Crowder, pleaded guilty to the felony offense of trafficking in goods with counterfeit marks. The company manufactures and imports furniture, lighting, accessories and wall art. “Electrical appliances that are untested and unregulated or misrepresent their safety certification can present a safety risk to consumers,” said Gary Hartwig, special agent in charge of HSI Chicago, which oversees Missouri. “While law enforcement is working to exclude from the U.S.-based marketplace products that misrepresent their safety endorsements, it is imperative that consumers be aware of the potential danger counterfeit items can pose.” “This prosecution sends the important message that companies importing goods from overseas may not gain a competitive advantage over those that play by the rules, by cutting corners when it comes to safety or intellectual property rights,” said Tammy Dickinson, U.S. attorney for the Western District of Missouri.
http://www.ice.gov/news/releases/1307/130715springfield.htm
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