Seven tonnes of illegal tobacco discovered in container near Louth
Von buycigarettes, 13:17
TWO men have been arrested following the seizure of almost seven tonnes of tobacco, discovered in a container near Louth. The arrests were made following an investigation by HM Revenue and Customs which discovered the haul in 27 boxes at a storage facility on Wednesday 18 July. One man was arrested at the scene on Wednesday, July 18 and another at a residential address in Cleethorpes the following day. The revenue evaded on this quantity of tobacco is around £1.1 million.
It is estimated that the seizure weighs 6.75 tonnes – 27 boxes weighing 250 kilos. The men were arrested on suspicion of being knowingly concerned in the fraudulent evasion of excise duty chargeable on tobacco.
They are a 66-year-old man arrested near Louth and a 52-year-old man who was arrested in Cleethorpes. HM Revenue and Customs spokesman Peter Hollier said: "The tobacco was hidden in a storage facility. Our investigators now have to determine how it got there. This type of crime undercuts legitimate retailers and costs the UK economy around £2billion a year.
