Gang jailed for £12m tobacco fraud
Aled by an man have been jailed for a total of 21 years and five months after smuggling illegal tobacco inside fridges, microwaves and vacuum cleaners.
The 11 men smuggled tobacco into the UK from Luxembourg and evaded £12m in tax in order to “line their own pockets”.
Surveillance by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) revealed the huge fraud was organised from the Newman’s tobacco outlet in Marmer, Luxembourg.
Along with Border Force and international agencies MHRC investigated the gang, tracking their illegal activities, freight consignments, and suspicious travel abroad, and recorded their meetings in hotels and restaurants.
Investigators observed the smuggling ring at work in a large warehouse where hollow white goods, with no working parts, were being used to smuggle tobacco into the UK.
After being emptied in the UK, the carcasses were returned to the warehouse in Luxembourg to be refilled with more illicit tobacco destined for Britain.
The men were convicted of conspiracy to cheat the public revenue to the tune of £12,038,264.
Ringleader Ray Hughes from Aughton was jailed last December for six years for his part in the crime and oversaw a network of crooks that brought 27 million illegal cigarettes into the UK. GANG
David Hilton, 49, of Bolton, was the last of the 11 smugglers to be sentenced at Manchester Crown Court, with a three-year jail term. The others were: Andrew Saxon, 38, of Bolton, was jailed for 18 months on May 24.
Daryl Stringer, 50, of Bury, was jailed for nine months on May 24.
Timothy Gibbs-Stringer, 55, of Wigan, was jailed for 26 months to run concurrently with another sentence on October 13, 2017.
Kyle Langdon, 31, of Ivybridge, Devon, was jailed for two years on March 21.
Isaac Duxbury, 30, of Bolton, was jailed for 12 months on January 21, 2017.
Robbie Dunn, 23, of Wigan, was sentenced to 12 months in jail, suspended for 12 months, on October 13, 2017.
He was also told to carry out 100 hours’ unpaid work.
Richard Birtwistle, 56, of Wigan, was sentenced to eight months in jail, suspended for 12 months, on 13 October 13, 2017. He was also told to carry out 100 hours’ unpaid work.
Andrew Carver-Trotter, 35, of Devon, was sentenced to one year in jail on March 22.
Tony Capon, assistant director, fraud investigation service, HMRC, said: “This was a sophisticated criminal network set up to smuggle, transport, store and sell illegal tobacco on a massive scale, purely to evade tax and line their own pockets.
“This gang took smuggling and tax evasion to the limits and made a serious assault on the UK public purse, stealing millions of pounds from the taxpayer, robbing public services of vital funding and undermining legitimate, local businesses.
“We want to create a level playing field for businesses and to protect the taxpayer.
“To help us do this I urge anyone with information about the trade in smuggled or counterfeit tobacco to contact us online or call our fraud hotline on 0800 788 887.
“If you’re ever offered cheap or dodgy-looking cigarettes or tobacco, contact us - don’t let the crooks get away with this type of fraud.”