Protocol Agreements Sealed to Cope with Cigarettes Counterfeiting

Source from:  elkhabar.com 07/31/2007

The State is losing yearly $162mn as a result of losing control over tobacco counterfeited products, which owners evade taxes imposed by the State, while traders sell normally that counterfeited products or banned trade marks because of loopholes in control due to be undertaken by trade ministry. International specialized institutions, however, estimate the losses resulting in smuggling, fraud and copycat at $500mn a year, worldwide. In this respect, an official in anti-smuggling direction at customs services Mr. Nadir Redouane told El Khabar that customs managed to confiscate 100 thousand cartons of smuggled and counterfeited cigarettes especially those US trade marks at the southern borders during 2007 first five months of coming mainly from Mali and Niger. As for counterfeiting, sub-director at anti-smuggling customs direction, Mrs. Ghedbane pointed out that a protocol agreement has been concluded recently between customs department and the French UNILIVER subsidiary and other trade marks, whereas a similar protocol agreement is to be sealed between the international group Phillip Morris which markets Marlboro in the upcoming August. Enditem