Border Force officers have stubbed out criminals’ attempts to flood Britain’s streets with illegal cigarettes, seizing 4,884,001 cigarettes alongside 405kg of rolling tobacco, worth an estimated £2.59 million, in a 4-day crackdown at Manchester Airport.
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Targeting high-risk flights, baggage and passengers, officers seized illegal cigarettes and tobacco, made 4 arrests, and denied entry to 23 people. Officers also seized 35kg of cannabis.
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In one case, a brazen smuggler was caught attempting to bring in 100,000 cigarettes, carried in 6 suitcases on a flight from Dubai.
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Smugglers tried everything from modified pillows to false-bottomed suitcases to sneak cigarettes past Border Force, with specialist detector dogs deployed alongside officers during the operation.
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Smugglers now face up to 7 years behind bars and airline bans.
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Where benefit claimants are involved, the Department for Work and Pensions will investigate and could strip them of their benefits where fraud is found. Following the operation, 26 people have been referred for further investigation.
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Foreign nationals will be denied entry and have their ETAs cancelled.
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The seized cigarettes and tobacco, worth an estimated street value of £2.59 million, will go up in smoke, keeping them off Britain’s high streets for good.
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Minister for Migration and Citizenship, Jo White MP, said:
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\n Tobacco smuggling is not just about a cut-price packet of cigarettes. It undercuts honest businesses and lines the pockets of organised criminals.
\n\n Those who think they can profit from smuggling illegal cigarettes into Britain should think again. You will be caught, prosecuted, and put behind bars.
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The crackdown builds on Border Force’s year-round fight against cigarette smuggling, targeting higher-risk flights to build intelligence on the criminal networks behind the trade.
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Last year, Border Force and HMRC seized 1.9 billion illicit cigarettes, resulting in 201 arrests, 134 charges and 83 convictions.
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Illegal cigarettes damage high streets and bankroll organised crime. Made outside the regulated market, counterfeit cigarettes come with no guarantee of what they contain or whether they meet safety standards.
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Border Force works with HMRC, the National Crime Agency, Trading Standards, local authorities and international partners to tackle the trade from the border to the high street.
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Retailers caught selling illegal cigarettes can face fines of up to £10,000. Last year, penalties topped more than £2 million.
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Adam Knight, Head of Border Force’s National Threat Response Team, said:
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\n Our officers work day in, day out to stop illegal cigarettes reaching Britain’s streets.
\n\n Operations like this stop smugglers in their tracks and give us the intelligence to hunt down the criminal networks behind them.
\n\n Criminals change their tactics, and so do we. Try to undermine our border and we will come after you.
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