COPS FOUND ILLICIT CIGARETTES WORTH £136K IN BACK OF VAN
Driver, 51, spared prison while his co-accused ‘remains at large’
TWO men were caught red-handed in a van with £136,000 worth of foreign cigarettes which had been illegally imported into the country.
Krzystof Szymon, aged 51, and Dariusz Ostropolski, aged 30, were stopped by police in Shelton on February 11, 2020.
Szymon was driving the Mercedes Sprinter van with Ostropolski his front seat passenger. The van was searched and officers recovered 35,000 packets of cigarettes with a street value of £136,000. They also seized two ‘burner’ phones.
Both men denied the offence and it was accepted they were not present when the van was loaded. But phone evidence demonstrated they knew what was in the van.
Szymon, of Tellwright Street, Burslem, pleaded guilty to possession of criminal property on the day of his trial. Ostropolski, of Firbeck Gardens, Crewe, failed to attend his trial and was convicted in his absence.
Now Szymon has been sentenced to nine months in prison, suspended for 12 months, at Stoke-on-trent Crown Court. Ostropolski remains at large.
Prosecutor Robin Kitching said police stopped the white Mercedes Sprinter van at 5.50pm on February 11, 2020. He said: “The van was searched and found to contain boxes of illicit cigarettes. The cigarettes were foreign and were not intended for legitimate sale in the UK. They were handed to trading standards officers employed by Stoke-on-trent City Council.
“There were 35,000 packets of cigarettes. They did not comply with UK packaging regulations because they were foreign brands.
“They had been imported illegally without the payment of VAT, smuggled into the UK. They had a street value of £136,000.”
Syed Ahmed, mitigating, said Szymon used to be a lorry driver but is now working as a builder. He added: “He is genuinely remorseful.”
As part of the suspended sentence Szymon must complete 120 hours’ unpaid work. Judge Michael Maher said: “I accept you are ashamed of what you have done. It is a great pity that that shame did not trigger a guilty plea at a much earlier stage.
“Your co-accused was convicted in his absence and remains at large.
“The property was a significant amount of cigarettes imported into this country without the payment of VAT, valued at £136,000.
“You were caught red-handed on February 11, 2020 with a van full of those cigarettes.
“There are, in my judgement, some professional hallmarks and planning in relation to this offence. Both you and Ostropolski were provided with burner phones to be used for the purpose of this illicit enterprise.
“I am well satisfied that you knew full well you were in possession of some form of criminal property.”
Szymon was ordered to pay £1,500 costs. The judge also made a deprivation order for the cigarettes and the phones.