From: Peterborough Telegraph
A gang member who tried to steal £1.5 million in duty and VAT by smuggling millions of cigarettes into the UK hidden in furniture has been jailed today.
Anthony Wheeler (49) of Station Road, March was second in command of the five man gang, was jailed for three years at Ipswich Crown Court after pleading guilty to duty evasion.
HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) investigators led a series of early morning raids across Essex when Anthony Wheeler and his accomplices were arrested, and later charged, with smuggling offences. The five men had been caught after a surveillance operation by HMRC officers revealed the delivery of smuggled cigarettes and tobacco to a warehouse at Billet Works in Walthamstow.
In sentencing, Judge Holt described Wheeler as the number two in the organisation, working from Indonesia to facilitate the smuggling offences.
HMRC investigators uncovered 22 shipments originating in the Far East between July 2007 and April 2009. For all but two of these, Wheeler, who had lived in Indonesia for a number of years, used his contacts there to set up a series of legitimate furniture importations. Michael Lowe, the main organiser, was a frequent visitor to Indonesia and used names and addresses of family in the UK to make the shipments appear legitimate. The imported furniture concealed large quantities of illicit tobacco and cigarettes.
Paperwork found at Lowe’s home resulted in the seizure of nearly 1.7 tons of hand rolling tobacco and almost 700,000 cigarettes in a container in Indonesia.
Paul Barton, HMRC Assistant Director of Criminal Investigation, said: “This is the fifth and final man to be sentenced in this sophisticated and organised fraud. These men used knowledge gained from a legitimate furniture import business to try to evade the payment of duty.
“What appeared to be a legitimate business was just a sham to cover their illegal activities. Instead of supporting economic growth they were devastating honest retailers in their community and sucking millions of pounds each year from public funding. I would urge anyone with information about this type of crime to call the Customs Hotline on 0800 59 5000 or report it at http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/reportingfraud/online.htm .”
Gang ringleader Michael Lowe (51) of Carlina Gardens, Woodford Green, was sentenced to four years and nine months in prison after pleading guilty to seven illegal importations.
Nigel Sheekey (50) of Mawney Road, Romford, received four years in jail after being convicted at trial of his involvement in four illegal importations.
Terry Turner (51) of South End Road, Rainham, will serve 22 months after being convicted at trial of his involvement in two importations.
Paul Huzzey (56) of Tycehurst Hill, Loughton, who pleaded guilty in 2011 to two importations, was jailed for 18 months for his part in the racket.
All five men were also convicted of the fraudulent evasion of excise duty at a nine week trial in June at Ipswich Crown Court.
