Source: A Tribuna - MS - 05/11/2009

After 4 months of investigation, the Consumer Police Station managed to catch this Thursday morning, in Campo Grande, a cigarette distributor that sold clandestine brands in Mato Grosso do Sul.

During the operation this Thursday, more than 1,5 million packages of the product were found in a shed, in Vila Planalto, according to the estimate of delegate Adriano Garcia.

The brands are nationally manufactured, Tabacaria Rei and Sulamericana, which produce brands without certification by Anvisa (National Health Surveillance Agency).

According to the police, Distribuidora Decicampo delivered cigarettes to at least XNUMX commercial points in Campo Grande, in addition to supplying municipalities in Corumbá, Três Lagoas, Coxim and Dourados.

The company was not closed, because it also sells legal products, and no one responsible was arrested. The estimated loss, with the loss of cargo, is R $ 100 thousand.

The case was denounced in July, by a non-governmental organization based in Belo Horizonte (MG), the Association for Combating the Illegal Market. One of the NGO's representatives, Fernando Marques, came to Campo Grande to follow the action.

"These types of crimes harm not only public coffers, but also consumers who buy a brand that is not authorized to circulate," he warned.

The entity represents different segments, which are affected by product piracy.

Answer - The owner of the company, who was not identified, guaranteed that the factories sent the product with Anvisa documents "which even passed the tax inspection in the last week."

The documents were handed over to the police, who denied any authorization for the product to circulate.

The owner contradicts himself, admitting that there is a request pending at Anvisa, for authorization of the brands.

The result of the operation will be passed on to Anvisa, for a fine and other type of penalty against distributors and factories.