From: This is Grimsby
ABOUT 5.3 million fake cigarettes have been seized at Killingholme Docks in two days.
Lorries containing the cargos were stopped in two separate incidents by Border Force officials and the drivers were arrested.
The first seizure was on June 11, when officers stopped a lorry on a cargo ship sailing from the Hook Of Holland.
They questioned the driver about the load which, according to documentation, contained pallets of ready-mix plaster destined for Cheadle Hulme, in Cheshire.
However, a number of errors in the documentation were spotted and a further inspection found about 2,000 Palace cigarettes in each tub of “plaster”, covered in a black sand-like substance.
It was estimated that the load contained about 2.5 million cigarettes, which were later found to be counterfeit.
The following day, officers intercepted another lorry on a cargo ship also sailing from the Hook of Holland.
The load was examined and supposedly contained household central heating boilers.
Another inspection found the first few pallets were made up of empty boxes. It was only when officers reached the rear of the lorry that the cigarettes were discovered.
Officials estimate that the load contained about 2.8 million fake Palace cigarettes, bound for Elvington, near York.
Both drivers were arrested on suspicion of fraudulent evasion of duty and the matter was passed to Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) for further inquiries.
Kevin Parsons, acting assistant director for Border Force, said: “I would like to praise the hard work and vigilance of our officers in making two sizeable seizures on consecutive days, keeping a large amount of counterfeit tobacco off our streets.
“The unpaid duty on these cigarettes would have run into seven figures and it is effectively stealing from the public purse and from law-abiding taxpayers.
“I would urge anyone tempted by cheap cigarettes and tobacco to think again. The black market cheats honest traders. It is totally unregulated so buyers have no way of knowing what they are actually getting and, worst of all, further up the supply chain serious criminals are reaping the rewards.”
If the haul had not been intercepted, it could have cost the treasury about £1.2-million in unpaid excise duty. All the cigarettes seized will now be destroyed.
Anyone with information about activity they suspect may be linked to smuggling should call 0800 59 5000.
The Border Force is also working with Humberside Police through Operation Yali.
This initiative, as reported, encourages those involved locally in the road haulage and freight transport industry to be alert to unusual behaviour and circumstances and report any suspicious activity to either organisation or anonymously via Crimestoppers 0800 555 11.
