More smuggled cigarettes seized at East Midlands Airport
28.12.07
Customs officers have thwarted a gang of smugglers attempting to bring 73,000 illegal cigarettes in the UK through East Midlands Airport. The smuggling attempt comes less than two weeks after officers also seized more than 121,000 cigarettes from a gang of 13 people at the same airport.
In the second smuggling operation the Palace branded cigarettes, thought to be heading for the black market, was seized from four men returning to the country on a flight from Tenerife, in the Canary Islands. They were seized during an operation by officers from HM Revenue and Customs on Wednesday night and would have cost the Government £14,000 on lost tax earnings if they had been sold on the black market.
John MacMillan, detection manager for HM Revenue and Customs, said: 'We hope this second seizure of smuggled cigarettes in such a short period of time sends a clear and powerful message to would-be criminals that we have successful and effective teams of Customs Officers working at regional airports.'
'We will not hesitate to take action against those dealing in smuggled goods and evading duty. Selling illicit tobacco products is not a harmless tax fiddle - it cheats the nation of around £3 billion a year, which could be used to fund vital public services such as hospitals and schools.'
No arrests have yet been made over this week's seizure, with customs officers' investigations ongoing. Two of the men were from the Newark area, one was from Market Drayton and one was from Lincoln. The haul will now be used to generate power for the National Grid.
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