Tonnes of counterfeit cartridges and toners destroyed in Uganda

Tonnes of counterfeit cartridges and toners destroyed in Uganda

The Uganda Registration Services Bureau together with the Trans-World Protection Group have recently incinerated the last batch of seized counterfeit cartridges and toners. Since January 2019, Shs25bn ($240 million) worth of goods were seized and destroyed at the UPDF managed National Environment Authority offsite-disposal ground in Nakasongola District.

The police and agency crackdown led to a discovery of disguised storage facilities which housed tonnes of counterfeit HP and Canon toners and cartridges. With these brands leading the printing industry market, counterfeit HP and Canon products are on the rise and consequently have deceived customers seeking to buy the authentic products.

“We managed to locate a Warehouse in Bugolobi, a Kampala suburb where the counterfeit was being repackaged disguised as genuine HP and Canon toner products,” said Mr Peter Masinde, a Consulate with Trans-World Protection Group. Corruption in Uganda’s border protection and loopholes in the system has enabled dealers to smuggle in these illegal goods. “We also discovered that some of the counterfeit finds its way into Uganda and then it is repackaged and taken to Kenya, South Sudan, and Rwanda among other countries. We are working to have some of these loopholes sealed.” Mr Masinde added.

Until the big dealers are caught and arrested, discrepancies in the border control systems will enable the distribution of counterfeit goods throughout Uganda and its nearby countries.

Orginal report is from Monitor