A man in his 70s was arrested in Co Tyrone last week following the discovery of millions of pounds worth of illegal cigarettes by HMRC.
The 70-year-old man was arrested in the Coalisland area on Thursday 27 April after the search of a premises in the town worth an estimated £2 million in duty and taxes. The man has since been released on bail.
More than 3.7million non-UK duty paid cigarettes were seized in the raid, along with 300kg of hand-rolling tobacco and £7,000 in cash.
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Assistant Director of the HMRC’s Fraud Investigation Service, Lucie Irving, said the sale of illicit goods damages funding for public services.
“The trade in illicit cigarettes and tobacco damages funding for essential public services and undermines legitimate traders including small, independent shops that serve local communities,” Irving said.
“HMRC continues to work closely with our partners to relentlessly pursue the determined minority who refuse to play by the rules.”
Emma Neill, Detective Superintendent, PSNI, added: “We are committed to working alongside our partner agencies to combat the illicit trade of illegal tobacco, wines and spirits and remain resolute in our efforts to put those who seek to profit from criminality before the courts.
“Investigations into the seizures are continuing and I would encourage anyone with information about the sale of counterfeit cigarettes and other goods to please get in touch with us on 101."
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