Men Jailed Over Tobacco Smuggling

Two lorry drivers who tried to smuggle cigarettes and tobacco into the UK through the Port of Dover have been jailed for a total of four years, after investigations by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC).

Arkadiusz Zuk, 43, from Poland, smuggled 1.6 million counterfeit ‘Excellence’ cigarettes into the UK alongside a legitimate cargo of light fittings and roofing membrane. The lorry he was driving was stopped by Border Force officers at Dover Eastern Docks on 13 November 2013. Zuk was arrested after the load was examined and the cigarettes were found.

He failed to attend a bail hearing in 2014 and an arrest warrant was issued. He returned to the UK from Poland in November 2015, pleading not guilty to evading £359,000 in excise duty. He was found guilty on 26 June 2017 after a four day trial at Maidstone Crown Court.

http://www.heart.co.uk/kent/news/local/men-jailed-over-tobacco-smuggling/#EkTzGsqXWKLTVf0a.97