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FRANKLIN, Tenn (WKRN) — Tuesday morning, Governor Invoice Lee addressed the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce concerning the penalties of illicit drug and counterfeit items gross sales on the state’s financial system.
“It not solely impacts the victims of unlawful commerce. It impacts commerce on the whole. It impacts the enterprise neighborhood on the whole,” Governor Lee mentioned.
When criminals promote pretend merchandise, actual companies undergo. Like Tennessee-based whiskey producer Jack Daniel’s.
Larry Combs is the Senior Vice President of the Jack Daniels world provide chain.
“We’ve now been in Tennessee for 155 years. Some of the beneficial emblems on this planet. Some of the trusted manufacturers. So it’s actually actually vital that we defend that model, our popularity for high quality, and defend our shoppers,” Combs mentioned.
Based on Combs, the primary method for criminals to counterfeit Jack Daniels is to take an empty bottle and refill it.
As a substitute, Combs says the whiskey firm designs particular bottles, labels, and merchandise to fight unlawful commerce. Additionally they present prospects with instruments like QR codes to confirm authenticity.
“We make investments rather a lot in preventing this counterfeit product and unlawful commerce as a result of the very last thing we need to occur is to have one in all our shoppers have a foul expertise or a consequence from shopping for counterfeit or unlawful product,” Combs mentioned.
Kristin Reif, Director of Illicit Commerce Prevention with Philip Morris Worldwide, says about $2.2 trillion is misplaced globally per yr on account of unlawful buying and selling. “The amount of unlawful commerce, it’s huge. The problem in itself is overwhelming,” Reif mentioned.
Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Director, David Rausch, says the TBI investigates 1000’s of unlawful commerce circumstances a yr. Many of the circumstances contain drug and intercourse trafficking, or the sale of counterfeit merchandise like pretend Tennessee Titans merchandise.
Rausch additionally identified that when criminals are promoting unlawful items or providers, they’re not paying taxes. “It doesn’t simply influence the firms that we rely on, it impacts our state and the flexibility to supply the providers that we offer,” Rausch mentioned.
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The Tennessee Chamber of Commerce additionally calls Tennessee a key transportation hub for the southern United States based mostly on its geographic location. Criminals transport contraband by means of the state in tractor-trailers, personal autos, and bundle supply providers.
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