Four Million Cigarettes Seized At Port

Français   Deutsch   Italiano   Español  

Officers from HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) are carrying out an investigation following the discovery of approximately four million cigarettes hidden amongst empty crates which had arrived on a lorry from France at Dover Ferry Port.

UK Border Agency officers had searched the lorry at Dover's Eastern Docks after it had been driven off a ferry during the evening of Tuesday, 26 January 2010. The cigarettes were found on pallets behind several rows of empty crates. The revenue evaded on the goods was about £723,000.

The driver of the lorry, a 45 year-old man from Birmingham, was arrested, interviewed and subsequently released on bail pending further enquiries.

Bob Gaiger, HM Revenue & Customs spokesman in the South East said: "Revenue & Customs take a very serious view of cigarette and tobacco smuggling. It is not a harmless tax fiddle. This type of activity harms honest businesses and costs the UK billions of pounds in lost revenue that ends up lining the pockets of criminals instead of funding vital public services."

Published on Monday, 1 February 2010 at 1:37pm