WOLVERHAMPTON: They were recovered from Wolverhampton and Walsall along with a combined 56 kilos of hand-rolling tobacco.
The two-day operation, which included swoops in Coventry as well, saw 32 retail premises and self-storage units visited this week.
HM Revenue and Customs, police and trading standards lead the investigation which also saw around 2,780 litres of alcohol which is believed to be illicit found.
The visits, were part of HMRC’s Tobacco Taskforce activity, led to items being seized from 12 premises.
Two tobacco dogs and their handlers helped officers uncover cigarettes hidden in various parts of the shops. The biggest haul was in Wolverhampton where 32,623 cigarettes with an estimated £10,113 avoided in tax were discovered, with 24,000 in one shop in hidden concealments.
There were also 40.95 kilos of hand-rolling tobacco, with an estimated £7,572 duty and VAT evaded.
In Walsall, there were 3,067 cigarettes with an estimated £975 duty and VAT evaded, with 15.5 kilos of hand-rolling tobacco.
Richard Wentel, assistant director of the fraud investigation service, HMRC, said: “The sale of illegal tobacco and alcohol will not be tolerated by us or our partner agencies. Disrupting criminal trade is at the heart of our strategy to clampdown on the illicit tobacco market, which costs the UK around £2 billion a year, and the sale of illicit alcohol which costs the UK around £1 billion per year.”
Immigration enforcement officers served notices to two businesses warning that they will be liable for a civil penalty unless they can demonstrate that the correct pre-employment checks were carried out.
Since 2000, the illicit market in cigarettes has more than halved. In the last two years, almost 3.3 billion cigarettes and over 800 tonnes of illicit hand-rolling tobacco have been seized.
HMRC can also levy civil penalties on anyone handling, using or supplying non-duty paid tobacco products.
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