Aussie border agents seize 57 mln illegal cigarette
SYDNEY, July 5 (Xinhua) — A joint operation led by the Australian Border Force (ABF) has stubbed out an organized crime syndicate and seized over 57 million illegal cigarettes in a year-long investigation.
Aided by the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC) and Queensland State Police, ABF superintendent Leo Lahey said on Thursday that the Illicit Tobacco Taskforce operation was an example of what can be achieved when authorities pool the resources of state, federal and international law enforcement.
“Working collaboratively across agencies in this way will always be critical to success,” he said.
“These seizures also highlight the critical need to combat the illicit tobacco trade.”
Beginning in June 2017, the complex investigation began with a tip-off from ACIC after information came to light that an organized crime syndicate with links to Southeast Asia was operating in Australia and involved in money laundering and the large-scale importation of illicit tobacco.
http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2018-07/05/c_137302917.htm
Lear MoreChina intensifies crackdown on smuggled, counterfeit cigarettes
BEIJING, July 20 (Xinhua) — Chinese tobacco authorities seized 195,000 cartons of smuggled and counterfeit cigarettes in the first half of this year, the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration said Thursday.
Tobacco authorities at all levels worked closely with the police and customs authorities to intensify the crackdown on smuggling gangs.
A total of 2,817 counterfeit cigarette cases, each worth 50,000 yuan (7,353 U.S. dollars) or more, were solved from January to June.
Law enforcement agencies captured 3,786 suspects for producing and selling counterfeit cigarettes and prosecuted 1,601 of them.
China is the world’s largest cigarette producer and consumer market, with over 316 million adult smokers. The cigarette trade is governed by a state monopoly.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2017-07/20/c_
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China smashes drinks smuggling case worth 74 mln USD
TIANJIN, July 5 (Xinhua) — Tianjin Customs in north China announced on Wednesday that it has smashed a smuggling case involving some 5 million liters of wine, beers and mineral water.
It was estimated that the drinks involved were worth nearly 500 million yuan(about 74 million U.S. dollars). Tianjin Customs found that a Beijing company’s prices were much lower than the market average at the end of 2016. After two months’ investigation, five suspects were caught and key evidence seized. The suspects have allegedly been smuggling drinks through fake contracts and invoices and quoting low prices.
It was found that the suspects registered several companies in Beijing and Tianjin. The products smuggled were imported from a dozen countries including the United States, Mexico, Britain, France and Russia. More than 720,000 bottles of drinks worth about 60 million yuan were seized by Tianjin customs officers.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2017-07/05/c_136420388.htm
Lear MoreLatvia seizes 5 tons of counterfeit coffee destined for EU market
More than five tons of counterfeit coffee with fake Nestle and Nescafe labels destined for the EU market have been seized by Latvian authorities.
The Customs Police of the Latvian State Revenue Service said that it also found coffee processing and packaging equipment in an excise warehouse in Marupe, suburb of the Latvian capital Riga, and a plant in Riga.
The criminal gang had planned to sell the counterfeit coffee on the EU market.
The Customs Police found 21 palettes with coffee that had Nescafe Gold Blend labels on in the warehouse. There were also 1,260 Nescafe Gold Blend jars of 500 grams, and 6,048 jars of 750 grams. A coffee processing plant in Riga has been identified as the consigner, and a Lithuanian company as a consignee.
An investigation is underway. Samples of the confiscated goods have been sent to the authorized representative of Nestle and Nescafe brands, and it was determined that these were counterfeit goods and packaging.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2017-06/01/c_136332413.htm
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