In Conversation with Dr. Muktesh Chander IPS, Special Commissioner- Operations, Delhi Police
8/1/2021
Smuggling and counterfeiting which are termed as illicit trade is the world’s largest growing economic menace. Owing to its rather complex nature, its size is hard to determine. However, various estimates suggest that over the last ten years, the magnitude of illicit trade has grown from USD 650 billion to about USD 3 trillion, and this criminal activity represents 10 per cent of the global trade, being rightly termed by the FBI as the ‘crime of the 21st century’. It is evident that the hazards of illicit trade are serious which needs to be dealt with sincere commitment leading to result-oriented effective steps addressing this challenge.
In order to discuss this in detail FICCI CASCADE is organizing “In conversation with Dr. Muktesh Chander, Special Commissioner, Delhi Police,” scheduled on 8 January 2021 at 3:00 pm. The session will throw light on the scenario of counterfeiting and smuggling in India, increasing cyber-crime during the pandemic, and strengthening enforcement & surveillance mechanism to address this issue in the current crisis.
Mr. Deep Chand, Former Special Commissioner, Delhi Police and Advisor, FICCI CASCADE will be moderating this discussion.
The session will be live streamed on YouTube at the below given link: https://youtu.be/59r3H0pj-NE
Lear More
In Conversation with Mr. Balesh Kumar, Pr. Director General, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence
23/12/2020
Illicit trade in terms of smuggling and counterfeiting is undeniably one of the greatest risks globally impacting legitimate economic activity and facilitating an underground economy and organized crime that deprives governments of revenues for vital public services, forces higher burdens on taxpayers, incurs job losses and exposes consumers to dangerous and ineffective products. Unfortunately, the problem has only compounded in the current COVID crisis, where criminals have used the pandemic as an opportunity to increase their nefarious activities, causing significant damage on the economy of the nation, health, and safety of the consumers.
The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), which is the country’s premier counter-smuggling agency has consistently and effectively adapted to the new challenges brought in due to change in the economic scenario. Even in this challenging scenario, DRI officers have been fulfilling their responsibilities with utmost dedication and zeal and are playing a vital role in strengthening the economic and physical security of the country.
In order to discuss the threats posed by smuggling to India’s security and economy and the pattern of smuggling due to COVID-19, FICCI’s Committee Against Smuggling and Counterfeiting Activities Destroying the Economy (CASCADE) organized an ‘In Conversation with Balesh Kumar, Pr. Director General, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence’ on 23rd December 2020.
Mr. Balesh Kumar, Pr. DG, DRI emphasised that “National security needs to be looked at holistically. We must understand that economic security cannot be treated as something separate from physical security.” Speaking on the challenging security environment that India faced, Mr Kumar underlined the need for all law enforcement agencies to have a constant vigil to prevent smuggling as well as to ensure that necessary inputs were available to prevent potential terror attacks funded both externally and internally.
“Sealing of borders is not enough to secure the hinterland. Issues relating to security can travel across the borders very quickly into India and for that we must have a clear strategy of comprehensive approach of looking at the internal security in conjunction with external security as well as physical security along with economic security,” he added. Highlighting the unwavering efforts of DRI officers during the unprecedented coronavirus crisis, Mr. Kumar informed that DRI has strategically focused on smuggling of cigarettes and gold this year seizing illicit cigarettes worth Rs. 45 crores and gold worth Rs. 275 crores in the last 9 months.
While having a conversation with Mr. Balesh Kumar on various aspect of the problem along with the preparedness of enforcement agencies in terms of adequacy of manpower and resources, and terrorism financing through the proceeds of smuggling, Mr. PC Jha, Former Chairman, CBIC and Advisor, FICCI CASCADE said, “Smuggling of items such as cigarettes, narcotics, substandard food items and medicines leads to severe health hazards. The unaccounted profit generated through smuggling is also utilised to finance global terror activities.”
Mr. Anil Rajput, Chairman, FICCI CASCADE welcomed Mr. Balesh Kumar and Mr. P C Jha and said that It is indeed heartening to see the efforts made by the officers of DRI to protect infiltration of illicit goods surreptitiously into our marketplaces. However, with increasing number of seizures being reported every day, it is highly possible that the total seizures may just be the tip of the iceberg of a much larger network. Mr. Rajput also urged the enforcement agencies to keep up their already impressive work and ensure that such mischievous elements are kept at bay.
Mr. Deep Chand, Advisor, FICCI CASCADE and Former Special Commissioner of Police, New Delhi in his concluding address thanked the Director General and his team who have over the years gone from strength to strength in preventing outright smuggling and safeguarding the economic frontiers of our country.
The session will be live streamed on YouTube at the below given link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fk62TTqOlQ&feature=youtu.be
Coverage reportDownload Pdf
Webinar on Communication, Coordination and Collaboration- Strengthening the fight against counterfeiting and smuggling
26/11/2020
It has long been known that counterfeiting and smuggling make up a vast ‘global businesses’, representing a multibillion-dollar illegal industry that creates a significant drain on the world economy. Further, it negatively impacts legitimate economic activity and facilitates an underground economy and organized crime that deprives governments of revenues for vital public services, forces higher burdens on taxpayers, dislocates hundreds of thousands of legitimate jobs and exposes consumers to dangerous and ineffective products. It is the world’s largest growing industry, and its size is estimated to range between $650 million to $3 trillion according to multiple studies.
No country is immune to the impact of counterfeiting and smuggling and no single sector can be said to be an exception. The wide availability of such products is one of the biggest challenges faced by Indian industry, impacting ‘Brand India’ globally.
FICCI has been focusing on the need to curb the problem of counterfeits, pass offs and smuggled goods, and accordingly has dedicated a forum by establishing CASCADE – Committee Against Smuggling and Counterfeiting Activities Destroying the Economy. FICCI CASCADE works closely with industry, consumers, media, legal experts, consumer organizations and government to create awareness on how counterfeiting and smuggling have become a serious menace to public health and safety, and why all concerned must make a concerted effort to contain this menace.
in spite of several measures taken by all stakeholders to contain counterfeiting and smuggling, further steps are required, both in the form of policy intervention and awareness generation to address this socio-economic scourge. It is with the above background, FICCI’s Committee Against Smuggling and Counterfeiting Activities Destroying the Economy (CASCADE) organized a webinar on ‘Communication, Coordination and Collaboration – Strengthening the fight against counterfeiting and smuggling’ on 26 November 2020.
Dr. Amar Patnaik, Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha in his keynote address at the webinar elaborated that in order to drive India’s economic resurgence, the parallel economy in counterfeiting and smuggling has to be addressed. This would help if India wants to achieve a $ 5 trillion economy in 2025 and aim to take it to $ 10 trillion by 2027. He further added that measures such as public policy and strong enforcement are much needed to address this twin threat.
Mr Anil Rajput, Chair, FICCI CASCADE in his welcome address said that despite several measures taken by all stakeholders, further steps are required, both in the form of policy intervention and awareness generation to address this socio-economic scourge. Mr. Rajput further reiterated the need for establishing a coordinated national strategy to share intelligence, best practices, and cooperation on cross-border investigations to contain smuggling and counterfeiting
While highlighting the need for all the stakeholders to work in sync to combat this menace, Mr Deepankar Aron, Commissioner, GST (Appeals), Dehradun, Uttarakhand said, “Right data sharing with the right people at the right time is important in order to address this issue.” Further, on the enforcement scenario, Mr Aron said, “In just one-year, fraudulent imports exports worth Rs 2000 crore were detected leading to 200 arrests on white-collar crimes by the DRI, Eastern region.”
FICCI CASCADE has been over the years conducting multi-stakeholder dialogues focusing on identifying opportunities for joint actions between governments, enforcement agencies, industry and consumer organizations to combat this menace. The webinar brought together policymakers, think tanks, enforcement agencies, industry, and consumer organizations to deliberate on industry issues in tackling the flow of counterfeit, smuggled, and spurious products not only in the offline markets but on the online market space too.
The webinar saw participation from the e-commerce giant, Amazon who’s Director for Category Management, India, Mr. Noor Patel discussed measures that Amazon employs to check the proliferation of the issue and highlighted their innovative mechanisms and advanced technology solutions in blocking and tracing bad actors. Mr. Milind Palany, Global Brand Protection Lead – India & South Asia, Johnson & Johnson discussed the collaborative role of government and industry in thwarting this menace such as the need for collaboration with customs through data sharing mechanisms and knowledge dissemination. Speaking on the role of consumers, Prof. Bejon Kumar Misra, International Consumer Policy Expert, JAGO GRAHAK JAGO stated that there is a need to engage consumers more effectively if counterfeiting and smuggling needs to be tackled successfully.
It is unfortunate that the problem of smuggling and counterfeiting has only compounded in the current situation where the world is facing severe disruptions due to COVID-19. The criminals, on the other hand have used the pandemic as an opportunity to exploit the vulnerable consumer and organizations causing significant damage. Mr. Deep Chand, Former Spcl. Commissioner of Police, New Delhi and Advisor, FICCI CASCADE in his concluding remarks said that It is imperative that businesses take proper steps to protect consumers from the proliferation of scammers and infringers that seek to take advantage of the current crisis.
Coverage reportDownload Pdf
In conversation with Prof Arun Kumar, Malcolm Adiseshiah Chair Professor, Institute of Social Sciences
13/11/2020 |
Smuggling and counterfeiting which are termed as illicit trade is the world’s largest growing economic menace. Owing to its rather complex nature, its size is hard to determine. However, various estimates suggest that over the last ten years, the magnitude of illicit trade has grown from USD 650 billion to about USD 3 trillion, and this criminal activity represents 10 per cent of the global trade, being rightly termed by the FBI as the ‘crime of the 21st century’. It is evident that the hazards of illicit trade are serious which needs to be dealt with sincere commitment leading to result-oriented effective steps addressing this challenge.
In order to discuss in detail FICCI CASCADE is organizing “In conversation with Prof Arun Kumar, Malcolm Adiseshiah Chair Professor, Institute of Social Sciences” on 13th November 2020 at 3:00 pm. This conversation will be between Prof Kumar and Mr. Najib Shah, Former Chairman, CBIC and Think Tank Member, FICCI CASCADE, discussing the multifaceted aspects of illicit trade, understanding the risks caused by such activities and discussing the remedial measures to contain the menace.
Campaign on #MyCovidStory
31/10/2020
Sharing is caring, and there is no better time to share inspiration, ideas, and stories than now! The #MyCovidStory and #PeopleofCASCADE campaign is a storytelling initiative and a part of FICCI CASCADE’s (Committee Against Smuggling and Counterfeiting Activities Destroying the Economy) response to the COVID-19 pandemic. It will put the spotlight on people – how they feel, act, and thrive, when encountered with counterfeit, fake and smuggled products during the challenging Covid-19 times. Such stories and experiences will not also generate awareness on the issues of counterfeiting and smuggling and but will also inspire people to shun illicit products.
FICCI CASCADE has been actively working towards consumer awareness by highlighting the menace of fake, counterfeit and smuggled products, besides emphasizing how such illicit trade activities has become a serious threat to public health and safety. The COVID-19 pandemic has unfortunately seen a surge in the availability of fake, falsified and substandard medical, healthcare and other consumer products. Many people are day-in-day-out proving to be key actors when it comes to finding solutions to global problems such as counterfeiting and smuggling. My COVID Story is an open invitation to all to share their stories by means of written testimonials to amplify their voices; CASCADE will share the impactful stories through its social media channels and its website.
Stories are to be shared at the Facebook messenger of FICCI CASCADE.
Link to the Facebook Page of FICCI CASCADE – https://www.facebook.com/FicciCascade
Word limit for Story
500 words
Language
Hindi and English
Prize
A certificate of recognition from FICCI CASCADE to all the contributors and cash prizes to three most impactful stories.
First Prize- Rs. 15,000
Second Prize: Rs. 10,000
Third Prize: Rs. 7,000
Send in your entries latest by October 31st, 2020
Lear More
Kerala gold smuggling: DRI nabs four at airport
KOCHI: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) intercepted four passengers who arrived at the airport with 5.2kg of compound gold from Dubai on Sunday.
After extraction, 4.05kg of gold worth D2.12 crore was recovered. The arrested are Mohammed Kunju Mahin of Malappuram, Muhammed Arjas of Kozhikode, Shamsudheen of Kozhikode and Kamal Mohaideen of Tamil Nadu.
“The DRI intercepted the accused who were trying to exit the airport via green channel. All of them were wearing knee caps in which packets containing compound form gold was concealed,” said DRI sources.
Lear Morewebinar on Combating Counterfeit and Smuggled and Pirated goods- During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Beyond ,Kerala
27/10/2020 | Kerala
Be Vocal for Local and Prevent Illicit Trade
Illicit trade, smuggling and counterfeiting have been a huge challenge for humankind for many decades where they rob the government of its rightful revenue, pose health and security hazards to citizens and create a plethora of problems for the society at large. While the centre and state governments have been playing a proactive role in dealing with this issue, FICCI’s Committee Against Smuggling and Counterfeiting Activities Destroying the Economy (CASCADE) has also been highlighting the ill effects of this adversary and eliciting response from stakeholders to concertedly address this problem especially during the current crisis. It is with the above background that FICCI CASCADE organized a webinar on ‘Combating Counterfeit and Smuggled and Pirated goods During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Beyond’, on 27th October 2020 focusing on the State of Kerala. The webinar was a part of a series of such events which are being organised across the country as part of a nation-wide awareness campaign to highlight the issue and focus on the growing menace of illegal trade.
Mr P Thilothaman, Minister for Food and Civil Supplies, Govt. of Kerala, was the Chief Guest at the webinar. In his inaugural address, Mr P Thilothaman said, “We need to create consumer awareness and substantially reduce the illicit market operations for a conducive environment for growth and development in the country.” He further added, “Consumer awareness on fake and smuggled goods is low and hence many consumers are unaware that they are buying such goods and equally unaware of the consequences. Protecting and promoting the welfare of consumers has become one of the major concerns of our government and organizing awareness programs such as these will help to educate and sensitize the consumers.”
Mr Anil Rajput, Chairman, FICCI CASCADE welcomed the dignitaries and during his address, complimented the Kerala Government for their high levels of vigil to deter any illicit activities in the state. He said, “Despite having multitude of challenges owing to COVID-19, the enforcement agencies of Kerala have seized large number of illicit liquor, fake sanitizer products, gold, tobacco products and much more.” Highlighting the Prime Minister’s Vocal for Local initiative, Mr Rajput emphasised, “I could not imagine a better time for the Hon’ble Prime Ministers clarion call of Vocal for Local-Atmanirbhar Bharat, which to my mind could alleviate the pain and catapult India to even greater heights in the future.”
Dr M I Sahadulla, Co-Chair, FICCI Kerala State Council and MD, KIMS Healthcare Management Ltd. said, “Kerala being a consumer state, the opportunity is more for illicit traders. Hence, it is essential to create awareness and put an end to such nefarious activities.”
Mr. P. C. Jha, Advisor, FICCI CASCADE and former Chairman, Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs in his address said that among the different aspects of economic activity, manufacturing in small and medium enterprises which engages large number of people has been severely impacted because of COVID-19 and lockdowns and hence there is an urgent need to put it back on its feet. Promoting local manufacturing and use of indigenous products will not only increase share of manufacturing in the country’s GDP, create job opportunities in India and drive home the value of indigenously produced goods, but will also build ‘Brand India’ and deter cross border illicit trade.
Perspectives from Kerala Police was shared by Mr S Sreejith, IG, Crime, Kerala Police; Mr Sumit Kumar, Commissioner of Custom, Preventive, Kerala Customs shared the custom department’s vision in addressing the issue. Some of the key suggestions included:
- • Need for a wide scale programme to educate both industry and citizens about the dangers of smuggled and counterfeit goods.
- • Convergence of the stakeholders to address the menace of counterfeiting and smuggling.
- • Information based preventive action is a key tool to catch the perpetrators of illicit trade.
The webinar was also addressed by industry leaders from diverse sectors including Mr Deepak L Aswani, Co-Chair, FICCI Kerala State Council and Managing Partner, Lachmandas & Sons; Mr V Noushad, Managing Director, VKC Group Companies; Mr Varkey Peter, Managing Director, Mothers Agro Foods Pvt Ltd.; Mr Paul Francis, Managing Director, KLF Nirmal Industries (Pvt) Ltd and Mr Dileep Narayanan, Head-Bullion & Treasury ,Malabar Gold Private Ltd. They highlighted that the problem of illicit trade has only compounded in the current situation, where criminals have used the pandemic as an opportunity to cause significant damage on the economy of the nation, health, and safety of the consumers. The speakers also reiterated that consumer safety, safeguarding legitimate businesses while promoting indigenous production will play a significant role in the path to our economic recovery.
Coverage reportDownload Pdf
Customs officials at Chennai airport seized US $18,600 from a Dubai-bound passenger
Customs officials at the Chennai International Airport seized US $18,600 from a Dubai-bound passenger, who had concealed the bills in his innerwear and cigarette packet.
According to officials, the passenger, 26-year old Syed Ali from Chennai, was intercepted after clearing immigration formalities at the departure terminal. He was bound for Dubai via Air India Express Flight.
On frisking, three bundles wrapped with black adhesive tape were recovered from his underwear. The bundles contained US $15,600 and a cigarette packet in his handbag contained US $3,000.
Total of US $18,600 in denomination of US $100 bills, equivalent to Rs. 13.7 lakh were recovered and seized under Customs Act 1962 r/w F.E.M. (Export and Import of Currency) Regulations, 2015.
Earlier on October 20, based on intelligence on gold smuggling, Customs officials in Chennai seized gold paste of 24K purity, weighing 842 grams, valued at Rs 44.4 lakh, from two passengers who had returned from Dubai.
Lear MoreCustoms destroys P21-M fake cigarettes, tobacco-making machines seized at Manila port
Various fake and smuggled cigarettes and machines used in manufacturing counterfeit cigarettes were recently destroyed by the Bureau of Customs.
A total of 2,305 reams of smuggled cigarettes branded as Marvel, Two Moon, Mighty and Astro and machines used to create counterfeit cigarettes and cigarette packaging were destroyed at a rendering facility in Porac, Pampanga on October 19.
The items, worth P21 million, which were seized at the Port of Manila were destroyed through dismantling, crushing, and shredding.
Port of Manila District Collector Michael Angelo DC Vargas said that the port “shall actively conduct condemnation and auction proceedings in line with the guidance of Customs Commissioner Rey Leonardo Guerrero to ensure that seized items shall no longer be used.”
The condemnation was conducted through the Auction and Cargo Disposal Division (ACDD), Enforcement and Security Service Quick Reaction Team (ESS-QRT) and the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service (CIIS).
Lear More
Sarawak GOF cripples cigarette, alcohol smuggling activities
KUCHING: The Sarawak General Operations Force (GOF) today announced crippling cigarette and alcohol smuggling activities, as well as an illegal logging activity involving an overall seizure worth RM723,485.60.
Sarawak GOF Commander SAC Mancha Ata in a statement said the successful operations were carried out in Engkelili, Sibu and Marudi under ‘Ops Libas’ between Oct 19 and 21.
“The first operation was carried out on Oct 19, at 1.00 pm at a house at No 115, Jelukong in Engkilili (about 211km from here) which was suspected to be used as a storage facility for contraband goods,” he said.
The raid at the premises found 13 brown boxes containing 650 cartons of illicit white cigarettes of various brands.
“The seized items amounting to RM97,500 (including tax) was handed over to the Lubok Antu district police for further action under Section 135 (1) (D) of the Customs Act 1967,” he said.
In the second operation on Oct 19, Mancha said a team from the 10th Battalion of GOF in Sibu raided a logging site at Batu 40, Jalan Sibu-Selangau, about 464km from here, and seized an excavator, a bulldozer and 40 timber logs believed to have been cut down illegally in the area.
According to him, a man who claimed to be the owner of the excavator and bulldozer was arrested after he failed to produce relevant documents authorising him to carry out logging activities in the area.
Lear More
