UK’s largest illegal tobacco factory was in Crook, County Durham
THE masterminds behind a £10million fraud have been jailed after they were caught running the UK’s largest illegal tobacco factory – which could produce 140 packs of cigarettes a minute – in a County Durham town.
John Watson Snr, 47, who was a director of Doncaster Greyhound stadium, Terence Jacques, 60, and security guard Russell Haywood, 48, led a 12-man gang that made millions of counterfeit cigarettes which were distributed across the North of England.
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) carried out coordinated raids at properties linked to the gang in County Durham and South Yorkshire in November 2015.
Officers discovered the largest tobacco factory ever encountered by HMRC inside a farm unit in Crook. The factory had more than 24 tonnes of tobacco inside, along with 500,000 cigarettes, old imperial tobacco machinery and products used to make the cigarettes. Officers also discovered caravans that were being used by the factory workforce.
Related Posts
Illegal cigarettes worth €5,000 seized at Cork horse fair
A file is to be sent to the DPP following the seizure in Cork of illegal...
Bombay, Delhi HCs halt fake Skechers sales; 2,500 items seized in 3 cities
The Bombay and Delhi High Courts recently ordered a halt to the sale of...
Incidents of cigarettes, tobacco smuggling jump 136% in 2 yrs: FICCI
Incidents of cigarettes and tobacco products smuggling in India increased by 136...
More than 45 million illicit cigarettes seized in five days across two states
The Australian Border Force's crackdown in the illicit tobacco market claimed a...