Monthly Archives: November 2011

€4.4m drugs and fake cigs seized in huge garda raids

Posted on November 30, 2011

From: Herald.ie

By Ken Foy, Crime correspondent

Gardai have disrupted the operations of a notorious Dublin criminal who has been supplying a major gang flooding the south east of the country with drugs.

A massive surveillance operation that has led to the seizure of €4.4m worth of drugs and thousands of euro worth of contraband cigarettes has struck a major blow against the gang.

Today the Herald can reveal:

A 33-year-old Donaghmede drugs trafficker who lives in Co Meath has been providing the gang with their drugs

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Over 140,000 cigarettes seized at Dublin Airport

Posted on November 21, 2011

From: TheJournal.ie

REVENUE’S CUSTOMS Service claims its officers intercepted a major cigarette smuggling operation at Dublin Airport last night.

Officers searching 23 passengers who arrived on a flight from Chisinau, Moldova via Budapest, Hungary seized 140,800 cigarettes.

The brands involved in the seizure include L&M, Winston, Lucky Strike and Marlboro.

The Revenue says that the cigarettes have a retail value of €59,840, with the potential loss to the Exchequer of €57,728.

The Customs Service is appealing to anyone who may have information regarding the sale or smuggling of illegal cigarettes to contact them on 1800 295 295.

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Four Busted in Cigarette Smuggling Ring

Posted on November 18, 2011

From: NACS Online

GREENVILLE, SC – Federal and state law enforcement officials in Rhode Island arrested four men earlier this week in a cigarette smuggling ring that officials estimate cost the state more than $5.7 million in cigarette tax revenue, WSPA reports.
 
Rhode Island police announced the arrests yesterday after executing search warrants in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Virginia and South Carolina. The four are charged with selling unstamped cigarettes and importing cigarettes with an effort to evade taxes.
 
Officials said they uncovered the cigarettes at 15 Rhode Island stores.
 
The latest arrests are part of an ongoing, three-year investigation of untaxed cigarettes that uncovered a massive ring that spans from Virginia to South Carolina.
 
According to the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Western District of Virginia, the suspects acquired the cigarettes in Virginia and transported them to South Carolina for distribution. Over the past three years, “members of the conspiracy have paid undercover law enforcement officers approximately $20 million for untaxed cigarettes,” said Brian McGinn, a spokesperson for the office.
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Chinese police raid cigarette counterfeiters, arresting 78

Posted on November 18, 2011
BEIJING (Xinhua) — Chinese police have broken up 122 criminal dens and arrested 78 suspects in a cross-provincial raid on a cigarette counterfeiting ring, the Ministry of Public Security said Monday.
 
About 80,000 cartons of bogus cigarettes and 10,000 units of counterfeit logos and cigarette cases were confiscated, according to a statement.
 
Police also seized four pieces of manufacturing equipment and 25 vehicles used in the operation, the statement said.
 
The raid involved more than 1,500 officers from nine provincial areas, and a well-knit underground network for cigarette counterfeiting and distribution, it added.
 
Under the illegal activity, bogus cigarettes were usually produced and stored in city outskirts and disguised as normal goods for delivery, with fake cargo and ownership details.
 
Most transactions were done on the Internet or face to face, which was hard to trace, the statement said.
 
The ring constituted a closely linked chain of counterfeiting groups who would coordinate on production in order to meet orders, it said.
 
They counterfeited both high-end cigarettes and ordinary brands.
 
Due to their poor quality, fake cigarettes not only harm the tobacco industry but also people’s health. The police will continue mobilizing  resources nationwide to crack down on counterfeiters, the ministry said.
 
The recent move on cigarette counterfeiters is part of a high-profile national campaign that started last November to crack down on the violation of intellectual property rights and the production and distribution of fraudulent products.
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Mass. man accused of running cigarette smuggling ring in RI

Posted on November 9, 2011

From: AP

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — A Massachusetts man has been arrested on charges of operating a contraband cigarette Smuggling ring in Rhode Island using cigarettes from southern states that have low cigarette taxes.

Federal court records show 35-year-old Mohamad Mohamad, of Cambridge, was arrested Tuesday. He is charged with possession of fraudulent state tax stamps, money laundering, distributing contraband cigarettes and other charges.

An affidavit says Mohamad traveled to North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia to get cigarettes to sell in Rhode Island, where the tax is $3.46 per pack.

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