Hijacked Lorry in £1m Cigarette Raid

Source from:  Sep 2 2008 by Claire Ellicott, Liverpool Echo  09/03/2008

THIS is the first image of a hijacked lorry used to steal £1m of cigarettes from Merseyside docks. Police are looking for witnesses to the robbery and a £50,000 reward is offered to anyone with information leading to the arrest and conviction of the thieves. The red lorry was hijacked on the M53 on August 7 and then used to pick up a cargo of cigarettes at Ellesmere Port. The driver, 46, was held at knifepoint before being tied up and dumped in Humberside. The lorry was seen leaving Hapsford Services near Chester at about 2.30pm. The health warnings on the stolen Benson and Hedges Silver and Gold and Mayfair King-size cigarette packets are in Spanish and French. Police are also looking for a dark Ford Focus which was made up to look like an emergency services vehicle and was seen at a roundabout on junction 8 of the M53 heading towards Birkenhead. Call police on 01244 615085 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. Enditem