LONDON: The gang evaded more than £220,000 in duty by sending more than 400,000 cigarettes and hand-rolling tobacco through the post from Europe.
Peter Robinson, 69, and Adam Robinson, 28, both of Rossendale; were sentenced by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) which linked the three men to 109 postal imports of illegal cigarettes and tobacco.Peter Robinson, 69, and Adam Robinson, 28, both of Rossendale; were sentenced by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) which linked the three men to 109 postal imports of illegal cigarettes and tobacco.
A father and son have been jailed after a probe into cigarette and tobacco smuggling.
Peter Robinson, 69, and Adam Robinson, 28, both from Rossendale, were sentenced alongside accomplice Christopher Quint, 59, of Heywood, following an investigation led by HM Revenue and Customs.
The probe found they were involved in a major smuggling racket, sending illicit tobacco by post from Spain, Poland, Luxembourg, Germany and Belgium to addresses in the north of England to try and evade UK taxes.
Investigators said the men were linked to 109 postal imports of cigarettes and tobacco, which carried a duty of £229,000.
The Robinsons were caught at UK Customs controls in Coquelles, France, in 2011. Paperwork for 26 parcels was discovered hidden in the roof lining of their car. When the parcels of tobacco and cigarettes were intercepted in the UK post, fingerprint evidence linked them all to the Robinsons.
The men used an alias on some parcels that had been addressed to Quint’s home.
Both Peter and Adam Robinson, who lived together on Saunders Close in Crawshawbooth, Rossendale, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to contravene section 170(2) of the Customs and Excise Management Act 1979. They were jailed for 30 months at a Manchester Crown Court sentencing hearing.
Quint, of Starkey Street, Heywood, pleaded guilty to being knowingly concerned in six individual counts of illegal importation and asked for a further eight counts to be taken into consideration. He was jailed for 16 weeks, suspended for two years, and ordered to complete 200 hours of community service.
A spokesman for HM Revenue and Customs said Quint allowed his home to be used as a destination for the parcels containing illegal tobacco products.
The smuggling spanned a period between January 2009 and October 2011. The importation involved 1,087 kilos of hand-rolling tobacco and 429,600 individual cigarettes.
Sandra Smith, assistant director of criminal investigation, said: “We are determined to tackle the illicit tobacco trade. These men posted large quantities of tobacco and cigarettes in their attempt to evade UK duty and taxes. As a result of our investigation, we have disrupted a criminal network that was evading tax and pocketing public funds. They now face confiscation of their criminal proceeds.”
