Interesting post on a growing deluge of millions of counterfeit chips is posing peril to the military and the general public…
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China urged to take more action against counterfeiters
September 6th, 2010The EU are looking at more concrete measures to tackle the problem of Chinese counterfeit goods entering Europe. Although an action plan was signed last year to help fight the problem, the lack of action by Chinese officials is a growing concern. As reported in an AFP article, European tax, customs and anti-fraud commissioner Algirdas Semeta commented on an agreement between Chinese and EU officials to share information on criminal activity in relation to counterfeit goods; ”we presented 55 cases to Chinese authorities while we received just five cases from Chinese authorities. This means the implementation of the programme requires additional effort”.
Without better Chinese co-operation the EU and the rest of the world may be fighting a losing battle against the growing problem of Chinese counterfeits.
Counterfeit car parts seized in south Armagh raid…
September 6th, 2010Officers found the substandard parts, including brake pads, at premises on the Concession Road in Cullaville…
Are fake designer labels such a bad thing?
September 1st, 2010A new report for the British Journal of Criminology, co-written by a Home Office Advisor, claims not and that counterfeiting could actually be beneficial to top designer labels by promoting their brands. This view seems slightly irresponsible taking the consequences of counterfeiting (lost tax revenue, funding of organised crime etc) into consideration and is not supported by the leading designer brands; as reported on www.styleite.com, a spokesman for Louis Vuitton said: ‘The sale of counterfeit goods is a serious offence whose revenue funds criminal organisations at the expense of consumers, companies and governments.’
The report concludes that it should be the responsibility of industry rather than police to fight the counterfeiters and that resources should be concentrated on other more dangerous counterfeits such as medicines and aircraft parts.
Caught: fishing leaders in £15 million racket…
August 31st, 2010skippers have admitted making illegal landings worth almost £15 million in the biggest scam in the history of Scotland’s fishing industry. Investigation teams swooped on Fresh Catch in Peterhead and Shetland Catch in a co-ordinated operation involving Grampian Police, Northern Constabulary and the Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency (SFPA), the organisation responsible for the enforcement of fisheries regulations north of the Border.
East Africa’s Operation Mamba III bolsters fight against counterfeit medicines
August 31st, 2010A combined international operation across East Africa targeting counterfeit medical products and pharmaceutical crimes has resulted in the seizure of at least 10 tons of counterfeit and illicit medical products and more than 80 arrests of individuals suspected of involvement in the illegal manufacture, trafficking or sale of counterfeit and diverted medical products.
Brave steps against police corruption in Mexico
August 31st, 2010Nearly 10 percent of Mexico’s Federal Police have been fired as part of President Felipe Calderon’s war on drugs, according to Reuters. Deputy Police Chief Facundo Rosas explained that 3,200 policemen were fired for failing to “carry out duties established in the federal police law”. The police department of Ciudad Juarez, one of the main centers of drug cartel related violence, has also seen the dismissal of 465 policemen, including it own Police Chief.
Where corruption is so ingrained in society, it is difficult to say whether these latest sackings will make a real difference. Some say it is worth trying. Others point out that 28,000 people have been killed in drug violence since Calderon’s war on drugs started in 2006, an escalation allegedly caused by disruption of existing drugs gangs and battles to take over new territories.
Trying to wipe out a $13 billion black market is difficult, some might say impossible. Whatever happens, the pressure is on President Calderon who has vowed to win the war against drug cartels by the end of his term in 2012.
60 percent of Bangladesh court cases suffer from witness intimidation
August 31st, 2010Bangladesh’s Daily Star reports today that at least 60 percent of cases in Bangladesh’s court system have problems with witness intimidation or fear according to public prosecutors in Dhaka. This is leading to the delay, abandonment or failure of criminal cases as well as a long backlog of unsolved crimes. Law Minister Shafique Ahmed said, “We want to formulate a law to ensure witness protection, and have already asked the ministry to examine everything relevant.”
It sounds like the Law Minister has the right idea. Without robust witness protection laws, it is unlikely that significant improvements to the successful prosecution of criminal offenders will occur.
Jim Kouri on confidential informants
August 27th, 2010Just found an excellent article by Jim Kouri, VP of the National Association of Chiefs of Police in the US, which looks at some of the reasons why it is necessary to use confidential informants in the fight against crime. Well worth a read at http://www.renewamerica.com/columns/kouri/100601
$200m worth of drugs seized in California drug raid
August 27th, 2010460 pounds (208kg) of crystal meth, 19 gallons (86 litres) of meth solution, 15 pounds (7kg) of cocaine, $35k cash and 2 handguns and 7 suspected Mexican drug dealers comprise the impressive haul that Sacramento County Sheriff’s drugs task forces (Cal-MMET, HIDTA, and ADACAET) made on Thursday in Gilroy, California, according to The Sacramento Bee. This was the culmination of a year long investigation into a Mexican drugs cartel. The seized drugs would have had a street value of around $200 million USD.
Despite this significant successful raid the head of the multi-agency drug task force, Lt. Fred Links, was keen to stress the massive scale of the drug problem and the difficulty of keeping up with it. The U.S. DoJ National Drug Threat Assessment 2010 reports that 3,478kg of Methamphetamine was seized along the US/Mexico border in 2009, along with 17,085kg of cocaine and 1.5 million kg of marijuana. The problem is growing, fuelling associated gang crime and firearms trafficking.
With limited financial, human and physical resources, US law enforcement agencies will need to maximise the benefits of intelligence and use technology to help them take proactive action.
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