Smugglers discovered hiding in a South Shields warehouse with 1.5 MILLION illegal cigarettes
A trio of smugglers discovered hiding in a warehouse have been jailed after being found with 1.5 MILLION illegal cigarettes.
The tobacco-smuggling men disguised their stash as road-surfacing material and brought the contraband into the UK from Romania, evading more than half-a-million pounds of taxes.
Detectives from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) found the illegal tabs in wooden containers coated in bitumen and then wrapped in packaging when they raided a unit on the Middlefields Industrial Estate in South Shields.
Fraud investigators say the three men – Yiannakis Theodorou, Danut Nastasescu and Stanel Oprisan – were attempting to “flood the streets with illicit cigarettes”.
And when they searched the Throckley Way warehouse in March, investigators discovered 24 pallets loaded with packages 1,508,300 cigarettes worth £526,397 in unpaid duty.
Related Posts
Blow away this smoke screen made from myths
Preventing smuggled cigarettes coming into Ireland is protecting young people...
Interpol cracks down on fake liquor, tainted food products
A global police crackdown has seized over 10,000 tons of illicit or dangerous...
Man arrested at Delhi airport for trying to smuggle 1 kg gold by hiding it in his rectum
A man was arrested at Delhi airport for allegedly trying to smuggle one kg gold....
KEBS adopts Unique SMS code for product certification
In a bid to curb the sale of counterfeit products, the Kenya Bureau of Standards...