Seen and heard: counterfeiting news in brief

Fake cosmetics, wine and medicines, plus a Belgian meat scandal and a lawsuit against US Homeland Security over seizures.

Cambodia destroys fake products

The Cambodian government has destroyed more than 60 tonnes of counterfeit products including fake shampoo, hairspray, acne cream and perfume, The Phnom Penh Post reports. The products had been seized from three locations in Phnom Penh and Kandal, while three people were arrested and sentenced to a year in prison. According to the Cambodian Counter Counterfeit Committee, the fake products had been produced in Cambodia, shipped to neighbouring countries for packaging and then brought back to Cambodia with labels purporting that the products originated from France or Japan. Several commentators have called for a crackdown and strengthening of penalties for counterfeiting. 

Wine Australia focuses on dodgy exporters

Wine Australia’s powers have been upgraded, which will allow the body to consider intellectual property violations and crackdown on the export of counterfeit wine. The new powers, which are needed to increase the focus on the credentials of exporters and protect Australia’s wine reputation overseas, include suspending or cancelling licences, and refusing a product for export, according to ABC News. The move follows the recent seizure in China of 50,000 bottles of fake Australian Penfolds wine worth more than $2.8m, which is the largest haul of counterfeit Penfolds wine in the country, The Drinks Business says. 

Action on Darknet opioids

US authorities have conducted searches, arrests and interviews with more than 160 individuals involved with the sale and purchase of opioids and other drugs on the Darknet, in the first operation co-ordinated by the new Joint Criminal Opioid Darknet Enforcement (J-CODE) Team, which was set up to combat the online sale of opioids fuelling the US opioid crisis. The four -day operation across all 50 US states, called Operation Disarray, identified 19 overdose deaths linked to the online sales, while eight arrests were made, the FBI said. The co-ordinated operation involved agents from the Department of Justice, FBI and US Postal Inspection Service.

Philippines cracks down on fake drugs

Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte has announced a move to crackdown on counterfeit drugs, ordering police to arrest people found to manufacture, import, trade, administer, dispense, deliver and distribute the fake drugs, Reuters reports. The suspects would be charged with economic sabotage. The action, which expands on Duterte’s controversial drive to banish illegal drug use and trafficking in the country, is particularly targeting fake over-the-counter medicines following recent warnings that fake Biogesic paracetamol tablets were being distributed in the Philippines.

Call for stricter controls in Belgian meat sector

The national Belgian federation for the meat industry, FEBEV, has called on the government to restore trust in the sector and strengthen controls following the meat fraud scandal centred on the Belgian food company Veviba, Global Meat News reports. The meat trader had distributed falsely labelled and out-of-date meat to Hong Kong, Ivory Coast and Kosovo. FEBEV has called for an inspection of existing control mechanisms and efforts to improve transparency in the beef chain to ensure such a fraud situation does not arise again in the future.

11 years for counterfeit steroid trafficker

An American man has been sentenced to 11 years in prison for conspiracy to traffic counterfeit steroids. Phillip Goodwin, who has pleaded guilty to the charges, was one of six people arrested last year for their part in a counterfeit steroid operation, ItemLive.com reported. The steroids had been manufactured in Goodwin’s home and sold online under the name Onyx.

US department sued over counterfeit seizures

US Auto Parts Network, one of the largest online providers of aftermarket automotive parts and accessories, has filed a lawsuit against the US Department of Homeland Security in the US Court of International Trade over the seizure of products authorities have deemed as fake. According to a press release, the company, which has a network of websites, claims that US Customs and Border Protection has been “wrongfully seizing automotive grilles being imported by US Auto Parts on the basis that the grilles are allegedly ‘counterfeit’ and infringe trademarks held by the original automobile manufacturers”. While the seized grilles only represent less than 1 per cent of the company’s revenue, the firm said it was defending its right to sell the products.