Smuggling

The UK on Thursday announced the world's first new sanctions regime to combat people smuggling crime rings and block the illicit finance fuelling such operations as part of measures to crack down on illegal migration. The government said the new standalone sanctions are dedicated to targeting irregular migration and organised immigration crime, which will allow the authorities to target individuals and entities enabling dangerous journeys. The new sanctions regime is expected to come into force within the year as experts from across government work with law enforcement and operational Home Office colleagues to stem finance flows at their source and deter smugglers facilitating irregular migratory movements, including dangerous sea crossings across Europe. We must dismantle the crime gangs facilitating breaches of our borders. By crippling illicit finance rings allowing smugglers to traffic vulnerable people across Europe, we will deliver on our Plan for Change and secure UK borders,

Malhotra said it is vital for the department to upgrade skills and manpower to adapt to technological changes

The practice of smuggling gold to buy grain has persisted even after India, the world's second-largest gold consumer, slashed 9 percentage points from its import duty in July

Starlink, which says it provides coverage in international waters, has plans to launch in India, but says its coverage in territorial waters is contingent on government approval

The massive drug haul, part of a broader crackdown, is believed to be the biggest-ever drug consignment seized by the Indian Coast Guard

An Indian national who survived a treacherous trek across the US-Canada border in blizzard conditions has testified that he got separated from a family of four shortly before they froze to death. Yash Patel took the stand on Wednesday on the third day of the trial of Indian national Harshkumar Ramanlal Patel, 29, and Steve Shand, 50, of Florida. Prosecutors say they put financial profit over human life when they attempted to smuggle Indian migrants across the border into Minnesota over a five-week period in December 2021 and January 2022. They say Patel ran part of the smuggling scheme and recruited Shand as a driver. Both men have pleaded not guilty to four counts related to human smuggling. Federal prosecutors say a family of four 39-year-old Jagdish Patel; his wife, Vaishaliben, who was in her mid-30s; their 11-year-old daughter, Vihangi; and 3-year-old son, Dharmik froze to death on January 19, 2022. Patel is a common Indian surname and the victims were not related to Harshk

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has filed a charge-sheet against a man in a case linked to cross-border smuggling of arms and ammunition by drones in the border areas of Punjab's Gurdaspur district, an official said on Sunday. The charge-sheet against Malkit Singh alias "Pistol" was filed in the NIA special court in Mohali in Punjab, a spokesperson of the federal agency said. The case was initially registered at the Dera Baba Nanak police station in Batala on March 24 following the seizure of firearms and ammunition, including five Austria-made pistols, 10 magazines and 91 live cartridges, by Border Security Force (BSF) personnel from a cremation ground at Bhagtana-Boharwala village. On August 8, the NIA re-registered the case under various sections of the Arms Act, the Aircraft Act and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, the spokesperson said. The official said investigations revealed connections between members of the proscribed terrorist organisation Khalistan ...

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday stressed on the need for intergovernmental cooperation to crack the masterminds behind smuggling networks and take steps to deter illicit trade. Speaking at the Global Conference on Cooperation in Enforcement Matters organised by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, Sitharaman said that customs authorities should share information among themselves to curb the network of illicit trade and efforts should be made to ensure that information shared is "actionable". Sitharaman also said that the nature of smuggled or illegally traded goods has not changed over the last 50-60 years and it continues to be precious metals, narcotics, precious reserves from forest or marine life. "So largely the goods which are illegally traded remain the same. There are no newer areas on which the customs authorities are baffled. If this is the way it is showing a trend over the decade, by now most of us should be fairly informed of who are the forces behind

At the crack of dawn every day, hushed frantic activity begins in villages located along the India-Nepal border here as some residents set out on foot or in small vehicles to smuggle rice into the neighbouring country. Young unemployed men, women and sometimes even the elderly act as carriers for local smugglers and are paid up to Rs 300 for delivering a quintal of rice to warehouses set up across the border by Nepali traders. Most of them make multiple trips to earn as much money as possible. Lakshminagar, Thoothibari, Nichlaul, Parsa Malik, Bargadwa, Bhagwanpur, Shyam Kat, Farenia, Hardi Dali and Khanuva are some of the villages from where it is very easy to cross into Nepal and rice is smuggled, police sources said. Maharajganj shares an 84-km open border with Nawalparasi and Rupandehi districts of Nepal's Lumbini province. Ram Prasad, a rice carrier, said, "The Nepali merchants have set up small warehouses along the border where we deliver the smuggled rice. The warehouses are

Illegal activities such as black market currency trade, gold smuggling, and oil smuggling among others are costing Pakistan's economy a whopping USD 23 billion per year, according to a UK-based financial service company. ACE Money Transfer, the UK-based money transfer company, in its recent report said that the black market and smuggling of US dollars in key sectors are draining Pakistan's economy of a staggering USD 23 billion per year, The Express Tribune newspaper reported on Saturday. These clandestine operations, encompassing black market currency trade, oil smuggling, gold smuggling, and import controls, have detrimental effects on Pakistan's economic stability, it said. They distort exchange rates, leading to currency devaluation, which, in turn, can fuel inflation as imported goods become costlier. Moreover, such activities undermine the efficacy of monetary policies and erode confidence in the financial system. This not only leads to a loss of government revenue but also

The National Investigation Agency Wednesday detained several suspects during a massive multi-state crackdown on a nexus of terrorists, gangsters and drug-smugglers, an official said. The raids related to cases against the associates of Arsh Dalla, a listed terrorist, and many dreaded gangsters, a spokesperson of the federal agency said. The respective state police force provided necessary support to the daylong raids carried out at 53 locations in Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and the union territories of Delhi and Chandigarh, a spokesperson of the federal agency said, the official said. The official said pistols, ammunition, a large number of digital devices and incriminating material were seized during the raids aimed at dismantling the terror-gangster-smuggler nexus. The action focused on weapon suppliers, financiers and logistics providers associated with various hardcore gangs working with drug-smugglers and terror outfits based in Pakistan, the UAE, .

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Sunday directed officials to integrate forest department outposts with police outposts to combat timber smuggling in the state. Presiding over a meeting of the forest department here, he emphasised the installation of advanced technology, including CCTV cameras, at these integrated outposts. Timber smuggling results in revenue loss for the state government and the forest department should take proactive measures to restrain the illegal trade, the chief minister was quoted as saying in a statement issued here. The forests of Himachal Pradesh serve as the lungs of north India and are highly valuable assets for the state, Sukhu said. However, the recent torrential rains have caused significant damage to these trees, resulting in immense losses, he said and stressed prompt removals of the uprooted trees from the forest land and ensuring their proper disposal. Sukhu also reviewed the working plans for harvesting Khair Trees in t

Rajinder Pal Singh admitted to taking in more than $500,000 as a key member of the smuggling ring, may face deportation after the prison term

The Punjab Police has registered 177 first information reports (FIRs) against anti-social elements and drugs smugglers across the state under its two-day 'Operation Vigil', officials said on Wednesday. Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav on Tuesday went to Ludhiana bus stand to lead the entire police force to carry out this multi-pronged checking and area domination programme, which commenced at 10 am on Tuesday. The operation was launched against drugs and anti-social elements, said an official statement here on Wednesday. Special DGP (law and order) Arpit Shukla said that police teams have also recovered 2.5kg heroin and over three quintals of poppy husk, besides, other narcotics, pharma drugs and huge quantity of illicit liquor and 'lahan' (raw material used to make liquor) during the statewide operation. He said that over 17,500 police personnel under the supervision of gazetted rank officers conducted checks at 185 railway stations, 230 bus stands, 1,198 hotels/sarais and

Amit Shah launched a mobile app and web portal 'Map Drugs', which will help in identify and eradicate illegal farming in India

Mumbai witnessed 50 per cent growth in gold seized in FY23 compared to the pre-pandemic year of FY20

The official added that the passenger has committed offence punishable under Sections 132 and 135 of the Customs Act

Statement made at Ficci Cascade event, where it was revealed that World Customs Organization has evolved strategies to tackle illicit trade using AI, ML, blockchain to disrupt the practice

The magnitude of smuggling and the consequent loss to the country's economy might become a roadblock in India's march towards a USD 40 trillion economy under the government's vision of Amrit Kaal, a report said. There is a need to launch a robust international campaign against the menace of smuggling so that major impediment in the growth path is removed, FICCI Committee Against Smuggling and Counterfeiting Destroying the Economy (CASCADE) said in a report. While last year FICCI CASCADE took the initiative to mark February 11 as Anti-Smuggling Day, it has appealed to the government to highlight the issue of smuggling on the world stage and work with the United Nations to declare the day as 'International Anti-Smuggling Day'. The significance of the need for a high-impact international campaign against smuggling can be understood in the context of the massive loss that smuggling inflicts on the Indian economy, it said. The tax loss to Government of India because of the illicit trade

The government should take up a campaign against smuggling at the global level and a curb on such practices can help the world earn about USD 31 billion per year, a report said. Eliminating illicit trade would gain governments at least USD 31.3 billion every year, and from 2030 onwards more than 164,000 premature deaths every year would be avoided, the vast majority in middle and low-income countries, the report by Think Change Forum (TCF) said. India being one the biggest consumer of smuggled products, the report said. The country loses a significant amount of revenue every year. So, there is a need for India to take lead on the issue and coordinate at the global forum as the country suffers more on the revenue front than others because it is a consuming nation. As per World Health Organization, governments lose USD 40.5 billion every year in revenue from the illicit trade of tobacco products. To make smuggling an important part of the global narrative, the report said, different