As Illicit Trade Goes Digital, Technology Must Lead the Fight: Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva
September 19, 2026
NEW DELHI, September 19, 2026: Mr Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva, Hon’ble Judge, Supreme Court of India delivering the valedictory address on Day-2 of FICCI-CASCADE ‘MASCRADE 2026’ (Movement Against Smuggled and Counterfeit Trade), said, “Technology is both enabling illicit trade and emerging as a powerful tool to combat it. Criminal networks are using AI to create fake websites, listings and product images, while exploiting digital and cross-border channels that are difficult to monitor. This makes technology-enabled enforcement, data analytics, risk-management systems and stronger information sharing imperative. At the same time, tools such as blockchain-based tracking, holograms, QR codes and barcodes are helping businesses and consumers authenticate products. The response to illicit trade must therefore evolve as rapidly as the networks themselves.”
Highlighting how the legal and enforcement response is evolving, Sachdeva added, “Courts have responded with tools such as dynamic and dynamic-plus injunctions to address the rapidly changing nature of online piracy and counterfeit networks, while customs authorities are using non-intrusive inspection technologies, data analytics and risk-management systems to identify high-risk shipments. These measures demonstrate how legal and enforcement mechanisms are adapting to the changing methods used by criminal networks.”
Mr. Suryaprakash V. Raju, Additional Solicitor General, Supreme Court of India, stated that “Counterfeiting and smuggling are no longer local crimes. They are transnational business models. No country, however well equipped, can eliminate these networks alone. The effective response lies in collective action, coordinated laws, interoperable customs systems, intelligence sharing, joint investigations, asset tracing, market surveillance, cooperation with rights holders and public participation.”
Mr. Anil Rajput, Chairman, FICCI CASCADE, said, “The fight against illicit trade cannot remain confined to enforcement agencies and institutions; it must become a collective societal movement. While enforcement officers play a critical role in disrupting illicit networks, consumers, too, have an important role to play. Greater awareness can empower citizens to make informed choices and contribute to this effort. I congratulate all the winners of the Anti-Counterfeiting and Anti-Smuggling Awards, particularly the enforcement officers, young awardees and digital creators, for their valuable contributions. Their efforts reinforce the importance of building greater public awareness and participation in the fight against illicit trade.”
Mr Justice Manmohan Sarin, Hon’ble Former Lokyukta, NCT Delhi, Chief Justice, High Court of Jammu & Kashmir, Judge, High Court of Delhi and Think Tank Member, FICCI CASCADE, said “The real significance of operations by enforcement agencies lies not merely in the seizures or arrests, but in demonstrating what collective action can achieve. When countries share intelligence and work together, criminal across borders can also be effectively pursued through coordinated action. What one country may find difficult to achieve alone, several countries working together can achieve.”
Ms Jyoti Vij, Director General, FICCI said that illicit trade is damaging the very foundations of national progress, affecting the financial, physical and social fabric of societies across the globe, and the scale of the challenge is significant. “As methods of illicit trade evolve, the response must also keep pace through effective legal interpretation, sound evidence, appropriate remedies, and coordinated institutional action,” she added.
The 12th edition of MASCRADE 2026 brought together senior functionaries and experts from several leading international organisations, enforcement agencies and intellectual property institutions, including the World Customs Organization (WCO), INTERPOL, ASEANAPOL, International Anti-Counterfeiting Coalition (IACC), Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC), U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Danish Patent and Trademark Office, Australian Border Force, British High Commission and Embassy of France, among others. The programme also featured perspectives from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), reflecting the event’s focus on strengthening cross-border cooperation, intelligence sharing and coordinated action against illicit trade.
During the two-day conference, experts from India and abroad made highly informative presentations and spoke at multiple insightful plenaries, highlighting the significance of empowering consumers to take on the battle against illicit trade by boycotting smuggled and counterfeit goods.
Before drawing the curtains on the 12th edition of MASCRADE 2026, enforcement officers, content creators and school children were felicitated at the Anti-Counterfeiting and Anti-Smuggling Awards ceremony for their contributions towards combating illicit trade and raising awareness around the risks of counterfeiting and smuggling. The awards recognised enforcement personnel from agencies including the Directorate of Enforcement, Assam Rifles, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence and various state police forces, while students were recognised across elocution, poster-making and jingle-writing competitions.