MANCHESTER: A company director who smuggled over three tonnes of tobacco disguised as scented pot pourri through Manchester airport has been ordered to pay £34,500 in stolen tax.
Mohammed Shazed Jameel will have to serve two years in jail if he does not repay the money within three months.
A financial investigation by HMRC traced 33 illegal freight consignments back to Jameel, which added up to over three tonnes of tobacco. Many of the illegal freight consignments were addressed to Jameel’s clothing business address on Grosvenor Street, Manchester.
Two other men convicted with Jameel received confiscation orders for their involvement earlier in July.
Usman Mohammed Butt, also a company director, received a confiscation order for £7,212 payable within three months or he will go to jail for six months.
Mohammad Jamil Mansha received a confiscation order of £6,000 payable within three months or he will go to jail for six months.
Butt was the registered owner of a clothing company trading as the Designer Boutique (Manchester) Limited on Sawley Road, Manchester, where many of the smuggling freight consignments were addressed.
Zoe Ellerbeck, assistant director, criminal investigation, HMRC, said, “Jameel and his accomplices made multiple attempts to smuggle shisha tobacco products into the UK to evade excise duty and VAT. We are determined to track down tax evasion and recover stolen taxes.
Jameel had been jailed previously for 38 months on 17 April 2015 at Manchester Crown Court for the smuggling offences.
