65% of goods in Arab markets are counterfeits, starting from stationary, software, pharmaceuticals, auto parts, beauty tools, electrical appliances, food, to other items, and with the scientific progress forgery became an easy process and more profitable. Tunisian markets are full of these items, which came from unlicensed distribution sources or through smuggling, and they are easy to find, but they can be a threat to humans’ health and it can harm the economy.
Many of these goods are confiscated by specialized control units, as it was proven that these goods came from unknown source or were illegally imported. The control units proved the existence of gangs that work to supply the market with all kinds of these goods, without any regard to applied standards or health rules. These gangs took advantage of the unstable security situation to smuggle these goods into Tunisia to make a fortune over the consumers’ health.
Counterfeit goods aren’t controlled by tax system, thus they cost the national economy huge sums of money as they enter the markets through smuggling. It was also proven that, these goods can cause damages and diseases that can harm the skin such as allergy and malignant diseases that appears after many years as a result of accumulations of some toxic substances.
Director of Economic Control Department, Abdelkader Taimoumi revealed that, controls units managed to confiscate 100 thousand pieces of cleaning materials, 160 thousand pieces of food, 20 thousand lanterns and tens of thousands of tobacco cans, that are counterfeits or came from unknown sources. These confiscation operations are conducted all over the country in order to reduce the amounts of these smuggled goods.
A huge amount of cosmetics comes through smuggling from neighboring countries and Europe, and most these goods are expired which make them dangerous and poisonous substances. Many of these goods are categorized as medicines and sold in pharmacies, and displayed randomly in the streets and local markets in uncontrolled environment, as most of these creams and ointments must be preserved at 6 degrees Celsius away from sun heat, air, dust and other situations that will spoil and contribute to the decomposition of their compound chemicals. These unhealthy conditions make these goods unusable, and turn them to harmful materials that can damage the skin and cause disease such as, Eczema that can be easily turned into allergy.
The most terrifying part of all of this is the unlicensed factories that spread all over the country which produce poisonous materials and distribute them without any fear. The control units demanded the government to increase the penalties against these violators and food mafias that help spreading these poisons.