Tobacco racket smashed as customs officers swoop on Birmingham shop

Nov 6 2009 by Edward Chadwick, Birmingham Mail

AN ILLEGAL tobacco smuggling racket has been smashed after police and Customs officers seized 107,880 cigarettes from a Birmingham shop.

Officials swooped at the premises in Handsworth and uncovered the huge haul of contraband.

More than 10,000 cigarettes were found in the shop and a further 97,460 were being stored in a nearby garage.

Keith Morgan, detection manager for HM Revenue & Customs, said: “Cheap tobacco products can often seem like an attractive offer to local people, lured into purchasing them at what seem like bargain prices.

“However, the truth is these sales are unlicensed and unregulated.

“Those involved are not concerned if they are selling to underage children and young people. They have no regard for the conditions in which they are stored.

“In addition, with expertly-crafted packaging it is almost impossible to spot whether the goods are counterfeit. Like any other counterfeit product, individuals don’t know exactly what they are buying.”

The Marlboro, Gold Classic and L&M branded cigarettes are thought to have been brought into the country without any tax having been paid.

Thousands more were so-called “cheap whites” – manufactured specifically for the black market and not rip-offs of well known brands.

A further 3.7kg of rolling tobacco was seized in the raids on Tuesday.

No arrests have yet been made but investigations are ongoing.

The loss of revenue to the public purse would have been £19,000.

HMRC today warned shopkeepers that if they were caught selling smuggled or counterfeit cigarettes, they face a fine of up to £5,000 and seeing National Lottery terminals removed from their premises.

They could also be banned from selling tobacco for up to six months.