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Wine smugglers jailed over £5m VAT scam

noreply@blogger.com (KLM Storage (Midlands) Ltd) — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 15:17:00 +0000

TWO WINE SMUGGLERS are facing jail terms after being found guilty of evading about £5m in VAT and excise duty following an investigation by the taxman.

Roberto Parma was handed a sentence of six years and seven months, while Alberto Mori was given seven years after they imported and sold wine from Italy and without passing on the VAT due.
Parma owned I Nobili UK and imported wine from the Italian-based Cantine Soldo spa using the UK's duty suspension scheme -which means storing alchol incurrs no VAT payment. Parma and Mori abused the scheme by using the same delivery documents several times and avoiding paying duty by diverting the wine from the storage warehouse to a retailer.

Mori owned Soldo UK, a London wine merchant, and worked with Parma to sell on the imported wine illegally through a network of wholesalers throughout the UK.

An HM Revenue & Customs investigation found Parma's company was cover for the fraud, using Skype messaging to co-ordinate the movement of the wine from Italian warehouses.

The pair were arrested in July 2009 following the discovery of more than 114,000 litres of wine during a search. The full extent of the fraud was realised after an HMRC investigator found computer records and a memory stick detailing how the scheme functioned.

A further indication of the fraud was revealed by stock levels at the UK warehouse, showing the wine was being stored for unusually long periods of time.

Parma and Mori skipped bail and returned to Italy, but were tracked down by Italian Police and extradited to the UK in 2012 to stand trial. During the arrest more than £58,000 of cash was seized.
Confiscation proceedings are currently underway.

Read more: http://www.accountancyage.com/aa/news/2254696/wine-smugglers-jailed-over-gbp5m-vat-scam#ixzz2Nu9P48iO

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HMRC powers could cause financial ruin for warehouse owners

noreply@blogger.com (KLM Storage (Midlands) Ltd) — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 13:43:00 +0000

There is growing evidence that HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has begun a campaign to target warehouse keepers and hauliers who may unknowingly be handling excise goods on which the duty has yet to be paid.

And the United Kingdom Warehousing Association (UKWA) is warning that any company found guilty of storing goods on which duty is outstanding could face ‘financial ruin’ – even if the storage company was unaware that duty had not been paid.

“While HMRC has had the authority to assess anyone for duty on goods illegally diverted from bonded movements who was ‘aware or should reasonably have been aware’ of the diversion at any point in the supply chain since 2010, action has been spasmodic,” said Alan Powell of Alan Powell Associates, UKWA’s honorary adviser on Customs & Excise Matters.

“However,” he continued, “HMRC is deploying more officers to investigate excise goods supply chains. As a result, we are now increasingly seeing third party service providers, including hauliers, warehouse keepers and lessors of property, such as barns and outbuildings, being penalised by HMRC as a result of their involvement with businesses that have evaded duty on alcohol and have absconded – so called ‘missing traders’.”

Read more - http://www.shdlogistics.com/news/view/hmrc-powers-could-cause-financial-ruin-for-warehouse-owners

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Japanese warehousing firm invests £22.5m in North-East site

noreply@blogger.com (KLM Storage (Midlands) Ltd) — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 11:50:00 +0000

A HUGE new car parts warehouse has become the first business in the country to open on one of the government's new enterprise zones.

Construction of Vantec's half a kilometre long building, which sits close to Nissan's Sunderland factory, is a major coup for the North-East and further boosts the region's reputation as a global hotbed for the automotive industry.

The £22.5m project has created 140 jobs with 60 more workers set to join the ranks by April.
Japan-based Vantec looks after warehousing and logistics for leading vehicle and engine makers such as Cummins in Darlington and Komatsu UK in Birtley.

Vantec's biggest customer is Nissan and the new facility will handle about six million packages a year containing parts destined for the Sunderland car plant.

The project went ahead after it was pledged £2.7m from the government's Regional Growth Fund (RGF), which aims to bring jobs and investment to hard hit areas. Furthermore, the land where the warehouse was built is designated an enterprise zone, which means Vantec will benefit from business rate relief and enhanced capital allowances, which give tax breaks to support investment in new machinery.

Read More - http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/business/news/10207707.Japanese_warehousing_firm_invests___22_5m_in_North_East_site/

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£1m road opens up opportunities at busy port for developers

noreply@blogger.com (KLM Storage (Midlands) Ltd) — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 11:03:00 +0000

A new £1 million road which will open up Avonmouth in Bristol to developers has just been completed.

The road was built by development firm St Modwen and it is hoped it will bring in more developers and firms to the booming area close to the Bristol Port.

Plans are also under way to build a new motorway junction on the M5 to give direct access to the area. In recent years new arrivals in Avonmouth have included the Co-operative, Tesco, Asda and John Lewis.

Developer St Modwen, which specialises in regeneration projects, has announced that it has completed the new road to its Access 18 development.

The new road enters the southern end of the 55 site at Avonmouth Way and will improve access for existing and prospective businesses to all major motorway networks via Junction 18 of the M5.

The area already has planning permission for general industrial, warehousing and distribution use and is capable of accommodating businesses requiring from 10,000 up to 500,000 square feet of space.

Read more: http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/pound-1m-road-opens-way-busy-port-developers/story-18080636-detail/story.html#ixzz2LFOr0Stg

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noreply@blogger.com (KLM Storage (Midlands) Ltd) — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 13:00:00 +0000

Ban nuclear waste from Saskatchewan, group urges

noreply@blogger.com (KLM Storage (Midlands) Ltd) — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 15:30:00 +0000

A Saskatchewan environmental group is suggesting the province consider legislation banning the importation of nuclear waste — even as it is being eyed as a potential site for a complex storage system to hold all of Canada's such waste.
In a position paper on nuclear-waste storage issued this week, the Saskatchewan Environmental Society said while the province is one of the world's leading miners of uranium, it doesn't carry a "moral obligation" to deal with the waste since it doesn't use nuclear energy.
Saskatchewan is being considered as a potential site for underground storage of nuclear waste by the Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO), although a decision on the multibillion-dollar facility is likely a decade away. Three northern communities have expressed interest as a possible host.
In addition to the lack of nuclear plants in Saskatchewan, SES board member Ann Coxworth also said there would be significant risk associated with transporting waste to Saskatchewan from the Canadian jurisdictions that use nuclear energy: Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick.
Coxworth said the government could consider legislation similar to Manitoba, which forbids bringing in nuclear waste. Quebec also has laws prohibiting waste created outside its provincial borders.
"If our government were to pass such legislation, it would clarify the situation so they could simply write off Saskatchewan as a potential site at this point," she said.
Coxworth said the SES believes in the necessity of underground storage of nuclear waste — which remains radioactive for thousands of years — because current above-ground storage poses too many dangers in the long run.
Finding a suitable storage site should be done in concert with the gradual phasing out of nuclear power, the SES says.

Ghana to construct warehousing facilities for Jubilee’s FPSO

noreply@blogger.com (KLM Storage (Midlands) Ltd) — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 23:45:00 +0000

The Ghana Shipper’s Authority (GSA) says it will construct some warehousing facilities for the floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) Vessel on the Jubilee oil field.
According to the GSA, these warehousing facilities will serve as storage facilities for logistics needed by the oil companies working at Ghana’s largest oil field.
This was made known on a GTV show the “Business Advocate” by Mr Kofi Mbiah, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the GSA and monitored by a Ghanaian news company.
He said since the FPSO is 64km offshore deep into the sea, there is a need to create this platform for the oil companies.
“We have acquired a 30-acre land in Takoradi and we are putting up warehouses on these lands to ensure that they will create the logistic facility which will be needed to be used by the oil companies so they can reach the FPSO platform with goods as and when they are needed,” Mr Mbiah said.
According to him, since the FPSO is far from land and a ‘mini-city’, things like water will be needed to replenish or restock after drilling of oil, safety clothing and other logistics will also be required.
With its joint venture partners in the US, the CEO said the facilities will be constructed in February this year.
He also hinted that the Authority has plans of “Putting up other warehousing facilities and also provide other offshore facilities, by creating a shore-base facility that can support the FPSO onshore since the process of drilling oil is about valves and pipes.”

Some business leaders worry Panama Canal expansion could threaten jobs in Valley, region

noreply@blogger.com (KLM Storage (Midlands) Ltd) — Sun, 30 Jan 2011 21:36:00 +0000

International trade has long been one of Southern California's top economic drivers, but some business leaders fear that expansion of the Panama Canal could divert freight movement away from Southland ports and threaten much-needed jobs in the San Gabriel Valley and beyond.A diversion of goods could slow business for scores of importers and logistics and warehousing operations in Industry.
A project to widen and deepen the Panama Canal is scheduled to be completed in 2014. The expansion includes the construction of two new sets of locks - one on the Pacific side and one on the Atlantic side - as well as the widening and deepening of existing navigational channels.
The expansion will allow the canal to take on bigger ships. More importantly, it will make ports in the southern and eastern United States more desirable to Asian shippers.
"There are some very significant concerns," said Lee Harrington, executive director of the Southern California Leadership Council. "If you look at the big picture, one in four jobs in California is related to trade flows."
Much is being done to streamline and speed the flow of goods moving to and from the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, and more projects are planned, but if some of those planned improvements aren't stepped up, freight movement at the ports may erode and jobs will be lost, according to Harrington.

Portable devices pose biggest risk to data security in 2011

noreply@blogger.com (KLM Storage (Midlands) Ltd) — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 17:38:00 +0000

A UK think tank has concluded that the prevalence of portable storage devices and mobile phones will be the biggest headache for those who want to protect data and ensure total system security over the coming 12 months.
The Digital Systems Knowledge Transfer Network has made this announcement, with director, Tony Dyhouse, saying that devices capable of storing data in a portable form factor, will allow cybercriminals the opportunity to exploit new security weaknesses in 2011.
It is not just the data storage abilities of these devices but also the fact that they can connect to wireless networks that makes them vulnerable, according to Mr Dyhouse.
He expects hackers to find new ways of hijacking the data being sent and received over Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, allowing criminals to act in a clandestine manner which is difficult to detect, while harvesting significant amounts of information.
Mr Dyhouse believes that the average user needs to wise up to the potential threats posed by using this type of device. He said that the firms which provide portable gadgets will not take responsibility for the security in the event of data loss and, as such, it is down to the end user to act as ultimate guardian of the details stored within.
The potential for human error to result in data loss or even for users to become complicit in data theft, is of great concern among security professionals and the think tank is urging organisations to make employees take responsibility for how they use portable devices.
Mr Dyhouse emphasised the fact that he is not expecting every user to become an expert in data protection overnight, but, instead, is seeking an improvement in the general level of understanding with regards to how cybercriminals operate and how they leverage social engineering to prey on their victims.
Mr Dyhouse told Infosecurity Magazine, that the government’s pledge of investing £650 million to help combat the threat of cybercrime was a positive step, but that when compared to the losses suffered by businesses, it is a fraction of what is required.

DEC arrests director for money laundering

noreply@blogger.com (KLM Storage (Midlands) Ltd) — Sun, 26 Dec 2010 20:10:00 +0000

The Drug Enforcement Commission has arrested a proprietor of TCM Logistics and Construction for money laundering involving slightly above K180 million.

Stephen Ngilishe Chatora 36 a Managing Director of TCM Logistics and Construction whilst acting in his capacity as Director with other persons unknown did steal money amounting to K182, 363, 087 as cheque payments he collected from Chainama Health Sciences, Namwala District Hospital and Siavonga District Hospital.
This is disclosed by DEC Assistant Public Relations Officer, Theresa katongo in a press statement made available to q fm news.
Ms. Katongo says the cheque payments mr. Chatora collected were meant for the extension of the DYRE hostel at Chainama College as well as rehabilitation of the Circumcision theatres at Namwala and Siavonga District Hospitals respectively.
However, of the five cheques he collected and payable to TCM Enterprises Ltd, two were discounted at an Indian shop in Kamwala and three were deposited into his newly incorporated company called TCM Logistics and Construction a company formed to facilitate the thefts and launder of the ill gotten funds.
He has since been charged with theft and money laundering contrary to the laws of Zambia.
The suspect has been released on Police bond and will appear in court soon.
Meanwhile the Commission has arrested 68 people countrywide in the last seven days for trafficking in 200kg of cannabis.
Among those arrested is a 17 year old Zimbabwean national residing in Chirundu for trafficking in 10 balls of cannabis.
All the suspects are detained in Police custody and will appear in court soon.

KLM Storage

Wine smugglers jailed over £5m VAT scam

HMRC powers could cause financial ruin for warehouse owners

Need a bonded warehouse? Contact us now

Japanese warehousing firm invests £22.5m in North-East site

£1m road opens up opportunities at busy port for developers

Need a bonded warehouse? Contact us now

Ban nuclear waste from Saskatchewan, group urges

Ghana to construct warehousing facilities for Jubilee’s FPSO

Some business leaders worry Panama Canal expansion could threaten jobs in Valley, region

Portable devices pose biggest risk to data security in 2011

DEC arrests director for money laundering

Need a bonded warehouse?
Contact us now

Need a bonded warehouse?
Contact us now