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A recent seizure made by HMRC

Cigarette tax gap halved

A new report published today shows HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has slashed the tax gap on illicit cigarettes and tobacco by more than half since 2005. Between April 2023 and March 2024 HMRC also secured prison sentences totalling 148 years against 107 cigarette and tobacco fraudsters.

Ilona Leszczynska and Radoslaw Dobron

Beer smugglers jailed for seven years

Two fraudsters who spearheaded a Polish beer smuggling scam have been jailed for a total of seven years. Radoslaw Dobron, 36, and Ilona Leszczynska, 37, smuggled 122 lorry loads of non UK-duty paid beer via a North London based alcohol wholesaler. The beer, worth more than £3.1 million in evaded duty, was smuggled to Top Seller Ltd by abusing a commercial importers scheme.

Illegal cigarettes seized at Belfast Port

10.8 million cigarettes seized at Belfast port

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is investigating after 10.8 million illegal cigarettes were seized at Belfast Port. The cigarettes, worth around £5.3million in unpaid taxes, were seized by HMRC working alongside Border Force, on 20 June, 2023. The cigarettes were found packed in cardboard boxes inside a container that had been scanned by Border Force. No arrests have been made.

Cigarette smuggling gang jailed for 26 years

Cigarette smuggling gang jailed for 26 years

A gang caught red-handed with millions of counterfeit cigarettes at a Lincolnshire farm has been handed prison sentences totalling 26 years.
The small village of Midville, in East Lindsey, was the unlikely base for the gang who were caught with more than 6.5millon cigarettes, worth more than £1.8m in evaded duty.
Officers from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) arrested Marcin Kopec, 44, and Woj

99 million cigarettes seized at Port of Hull

99 million cigarettes seized at UK port

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is investigating the single largest seizure of illegal cigarettes ever made at a UK port.
More than 99 million cigarettes, worth around £44 million in unpaid taxes, were seized by Border Force (BF) at the Port of Hull on 1 June 2022.
A BF tobacco detection dog helped uncover the illegal cigarettes which were packed inside eight shipping containers and described

Jailed pensioner who trafficked fighter jet parts to Iran ordered to pay £700k

Jailed pensioner who trafficked fighter jet parts to Iran ordered to pay £700k

A jailed pensioner who trafficked fighter jet parts to Iran in shipments he claimed were goggles, wheelbarrows and gloves, has been ordered to pay back £700,000.
Retired company boss Alexander George, 80, of Long Ashton, Bristol, was jailed in 2018 for shipping military items to Iran, including MiG 29 and US F4 Phantom parts, following an HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) investigation.
George,

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) is the UK’s tax authority

HMRC is responsible for making sure that the money is available to fund the UK’s public services and for helping families and individuals with targeted financial support.

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC)

100 Parliament St
SW1A 2BQ London