Three jailed from the Midlands for smuggling 2.7 million cigarettes
| Published: 23rd March 2007 20:29 |
Two brothers and their accomplice were jailed for a total of six years at Portsmouth Crown Court on Tuesday, 20 March 2007, for attempting to smuggle over 2.7 million cigarettes into the UK and evading duty of almost £500,000.
Martin and Michael Pratt from Walsall, and their co-director, Peter Hudson from Lichfield, were found guilty on 22 February 2007 after a re-trial lasting 8 days.
The court heard that the counterfeit cigarettes were detected by Customs Officers working at Portsmouth Ferryport as they searched a lorry belonging to P.F.S. Ltd (Premium Freight Services Limited). The vehicle had arrived from Spain on board the P&O ferry The Pride of Bilbao on 29 October 2005. The cigarettes were concealed within pallets of parquet flooring blocks.
In his summing up, His Honour Judge G Cowling told the court he considered this to be a sophisticated operation and a sophisticated concealment. The defendants had used a legitimate haulage firm as a front and as their defence, and the jury disbelieved them. Those who enter this illegal business enter knowing what they do.
Tim Fleming, Senior Investigations Officer for HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) said:
"This is an excellent result for all honest traders who have to compete against smuggled goods. This operation was part of continuing efforts by HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) to stamp out the illegal trade - which costs the taxpayer nearly £3 billion a year in lost revenue that could be funding schools, hospitals and other important public services. Tobacco smuggling undermines honest retail business whose trade is damaged by those undercutting them by evading tax. Counterfeit cigarettes are especially dangerous and they may contain even higher concentrations of harmful substances than their genuine counterparts. "
This case was successfully prosecuted by the Revenue & Customs Prosecutions Office (RCPO). RCPO is an independent prosecuting authority, which reports to the Attorney General, and is responsible for the prosecution of all HMRC cases in England and Wales.
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