The members of the Coordination Body for Intellectual Property, Customs Administration and Market Inspection on 6th September 2019 carried out a joint action against illegal sale of cigarettes, cut tobacco, and other tobacco products on the Tetovo markets.
The action seized 69 boxes of 500 grams of cut tobacco or a total of 34.5 kg and 2,156 boxes of different brands of cigarettes. Boxes for cut tobacco have also been found to infringe their intellectual property rights, ie the names and marks of the WEST, Marllboro (Marbor) and Winston trademarks have been illegally used. The goods were seized and appropriate charges were brought against the perpetrators.
The seriousness of the problem and the extent of the damage caused by the illicit trade in tobacco and tobacco products, which has recently been compounded by the infringement of intellectual property rights, require continued efforts to prevent illicit traffic and to prevent infringement of intellectual property rights. To these products is not known the composition, origin, method of production and storage. In this action which is yet to be examined were found products for which the composition which according to the first estimates has a small percentage of tobacco.
With anti-trafficking actions we protect competitiveness, legal production and licensed producers, prevent tax evasion and further contribute to protecting people's health that could be endangered by the use of unverified products released on the market on the illegal ways.
As before, against the perpetrators, they will continue to be subject to the most severe sanctions to prevent this occurrence.