Fife pair charged with evading £4m tobacco tax

Two men have been charged with evading £4 million in excise duty after one-and-a-half tonnes of “illicit” tobacco was seized in a raid in a Fife town.

HMRC officers swooped on a home in Glenrothes which is believed to have been used as an “illicit tobacco packaging factory”.

Two men were detained and large quantities of fake packaging and £11,300 in cash were also confiscated during the operation which took place on Tuesday.

A spokesman for HMRC said two men had been charged and would be reported to the procurator fiscal.

He said: “Two Glenrothes men, detained in raids carried out by HMRC, have been charged with evading £4m in excise duty.

“One and a half tonnes of suspected illicit tobacco, £11,300 in cash, and large quantities of tobacco packaging were also seized during the operation.

“It is believed the property was being used as an illicit tobacco packaging factory.

“Both men have been charged and released pending further inquiries,” he said.

HMRC has cracked down on illicit tobacco.