Dover.uk.com

Men Jailed As Garden Ornaments Fail To Conceal Cigarettes

Tuesday, 16 March 2010
Two men have been jailed for attempting to smuggle 2.5 million cigarettes into the UK through Dover without paying £411,475 in excise duty. Thierry Desmet (51) a café owner from Brussels, and Gergios Stellas (35) a fish merchant from Rhodes, were sentenced to two years and 20 months respectively at Maidstone Crown Court on Friday (12 March 2010).

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) officers began their investigation on 29 August 2009, after Stellas and Desmet were stopped when they arrived at Dover Eastern Docks on a ferry from Calais. UK Border Agency (UKBA) officers discovered the haul when they searched the lorry and found the cigarettes in amongst garden ornaments and pots. Desmet and Stellas were arrested and HMRC officers commenced their investigation.

Heidi Foggon, Assistant Director HMRC Criminal Investigations said:

"Cigarette smugglers cheat the country of vital revenue to fund vital public services like hospitals and schools. Smuggling also has a devastating impact on honest retailers. Working with our colleagues in the UK Border Agency, we will not hesitate to take action against those smuggling cigarettes into the country."
Men Jailed As Garden Ornaments Fail To Conceal CigarettesMen Jailed As Garden Ornaments Fail To Conceal CigarettesMen Jailed As Garden Ornaments Fail To Conceal Cigarettes

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