Customs Officers Seize Tobacco And Cash StashDavid Aust

Source from:  coventryobserver.co.uk 28 January 2008 01/29/2008

A HAUL of nearly 216,000 cigarettes, 117kgs of hand rolling tobacco and £42,000 in cash have been seized by Customs officers from an industrial storage unit in Coventry this afternoon (Monday). The haul included a mixture of counterfeit cigarettes along with well-known brands, and would have resulted in a revenue loss of £400,000 – £384,155 on the cigarettes and £15,699 on the hand rolling tobacco - from the public purse. The cash was seized under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002. An application to detain the cash will be made tomorrow (Tuesday) at Coventry Magistrates Court, while further investigations take place. A Mercedes 4x4 vehicle was also seized. Keith Morgan, detection manager for HM Revenue & Customs said: "This latest seizure highlights the importance of our role in the community in helping to stamp out illegal trading, smuggling and tax evasion. "Those selling illicit tobacco products are stealing around £3billion from the public purse each year – money that could be funding vital public services public purse each year – money that could be funding vital public services such as hospitals and schools. In additional counterfeit cigarettes pose extra health risks to the public due to the highly toxic set of ingredients they contain. "With expertly crafted packaging it is almost impossible to spot counterfeit cigarettes until you experience the ill effects from smoking them." Anyone with information relating to suspected stolen or illegally-imported goods can contact HMRC's confidential hotline on 0800 59 5000 or email customs.confidential@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk. Enditem