HIGHLANDS region Eastern End Deputy Assistant Commissioner of Police, Ben Turi, has called on the PNG Customs, Department of Labour, Independent Consumer and Competition Commission and the Bank of Papua New Guinea to work together to eradicate counterfeit products and money laundering in the country.

Chief Superintendent Ben Turi raised this concern after he conducted a raid at a Chinese Shop in Goroka with Mount Hagen based Mobile Squad 06 last week, where they confiscated 13 noodle boxes and bags containing a substantial amount of money, firearms and live ammunitions.

He said the raid was conducted after they got an intelligence report from sources on the ground, and took the shop by surprise.

Mr Turi said every year PNG is losing K3 billion in revenue through trading of counterfeit goods including cigarettes and other food items.

He urged the PNG Customs, Department of Labour, ICCC, BPNG and British American Tobacco to work together to fight against counterfeit goods entering the country.

“PNG is losing K3 billion every year because of the counterfeit goods, including cigarettes.

“Guns and ammunitions are coming through our borders and that requires every responsible authority to work together to fight these illegal activities at our borders,” Mr Turi said.

He said during the raid in Goroka, only the officers from the Bank of Papua New Guinea were present. Other authorities were informed but arrived late.

“If we can confiscate counterfeit goods right in the middle of the PNG land mass, just imagine how many counterfeit products are being sold at the shops in towns that are close to our borders. If we can confiscate counterfeit goods, substantial amount of money not deposited here in the highlands, I’m sure there are more at our big cities and towns right throughout the country,” Mr Turi said.

He said these counterfeit goods, cigarettes, guns and ammunitions are being brought in through the borders, airports and wharves, and responsible authorities manning these places should wake up now and tighten up their operations.

“We can go into shops and try to confiscate those fake products, but if the borders, wharves and airports are not guarded properly, we will continue to have these products on the shelves,” Mr Turi said.

“The Asians are welcome to do business in the country, but they are warned not to cheat the people with their fake goods that will poison them.”