BANGLADESH
A team of the field office of the National Board of Revenue (NBR) busted a fake cigarette factory in Tangail. The factory had been running its operations under the guise of a rice mill.
The team seized nearly three tons of processed tobacco, filters, two sets of machines, and packets of cigarettes of a high-priced brand, which, after examination, were found to be counterfeit.
The raid came amid complaints from manufacturers that there were manufacturers making counterfeit cigarettes, evading VAT and supplementary duty, and affecting the business of registered manufacturers.
The Dhaka West VAT Commissionerate said the fake factory did not have VAT registration and was making cigarettes of most of British American Tobacco brands, the market leader in Bangladesh.