More than 12 million counterfeit cigarettes have been seized by HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) from an industrial recycling unit in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear.
HMRC officers discovered the illegal haul, which is estimated to be worth around £2.2million in unpaid excise duty and VAT, on Wednesday afternoon (20 July) during checks on industrial sites and storage facilities across the region.
HMRC’s Head of Detection for the North East, Michael Connolly said: “This was a staggering amount of cigarettes to uncover in one place and shows the scale of this type of crime. Each year the British economy loses over two billion pounds in duty from the sale of illicit tobacco, money that is ploughed straight back into funding other criminal activity in our neighbourhoods.
“We are determined to target the criminal supply chains that flood local communities with these smuggled products. If you know of someone storing or selling illegal tobacco goods in your area you can call the HMRC hotline on 0800 595000 to report it.”
Investigations into the seized cigarettes are continuing, HMRC add.
