Cigarette smuggling gang jailed
A gang who flooded the county with millions of illegal cigarettes have been sentenced to more than 16 years in jail.
The group, led by Harem Kamishi, 33, of Tunbridge Wells, evaded £667,000 in tax and hid cigarettes and tobacco in underground compartments that were opened with car key-style fobs. The men supplied and distributed the contraband to multiple shops where packs would be sold for just £3.
Kamishi, of Sidney Close, was jailed for four years and three months.
The group was caught after an investigation led by HM Revenue and Customs to seize 2.9 million cigarettes and 481kg of tobacco between 2009 and 2017. Products were found in shops, vehicles, lock-up garages and houses. They were even hidden in under-the-counter compartments.
Shop workers Yassir Karim, 27, and Mohammed Rashid Mahmoud, 24, both of Gravesend, worked shifts at convenience stores in the town and sold the illegal items.
At Southwark Crown Court, Karim was sentenced to 90 hours unpaid work and must pay £250 court costs and Mahmoud was given a 24-week jail term, suspended for 12 months, and 200 hours unpaid work.
Mohamad Hassan Mohamad was jailed for three years and six months, Shamal Mohammed Najib for three years and nine months and Dyar Jalal Hama for three years. All three are from Gravesend. Karwan Tahseen Omar, of Dartford, was told to do 190 hours community service. Aryan Majid Karim, of Douglas Avenue, Maidstone, was fined £360 and must pay £100 costs. Dani Adam, of Dundee, Scotland, was jailed for two years and three months.
Products were sent to stores in Margate, Gravesend, Chatham, Ramsgate, Dartford, Gillingham and Maidstone.
Ben Moore, assistant director of HMRC’s fraud investigation service said: “These men have undermined legitimate hard-working shop owners who serve their communities and pay their taxes. They undercut their competitors, and have unashamedly contributed to the £1.8 billion annual tax gap caused by the illegal trade in cigarettes and tobacco.
“We worked in partnership with Kent Police, Kent Trading Standards and the Crown Prosecution Service to uncover this scam and we’re pleased the courts have recognised the seriousness of this offending.”