Woman caught smuggling cigarettes and tobacco into UK at Gatwick Airport is sentenced
A woman who smuggled thousands of pounds worth of cigarettes and tobacco into the UK through a host of airports including Gatwick has been sentenced.
Lavinia Akyurt, 42, of Hartlepool at the time of the offences, now of Southsea, Hampshire was arrested in September last year at Gatwick Airport in connection with the offences.
An investigation by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) found that between January 2015 and September 2016, she smuggled tobacco on four occasions and organised two smuggling attempts by family members.
In total, 59,400 cigarettes and 23.25 kilos of hand-rolling tobacco were smuggled through London Stansted, Durham Tees Valley, and Gatwick airports.
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Trio sentenced after half a million cigarettes smuggled into country
Three men have been jailed after almost half a million cigarettes were smuggled into the country.
Dominik Mrzyglod, 38, previously of Sunset Place in Walton , was jailed for four years in January for his role and for a separate offence where 1.2 million cigarettes were smuggled.
Sebastian Swiezy, 36, of Hogsmill Way in Epsom, was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment, suspended for two years, at Blackfriars Crown Court last week. He must also complete 120 hours of unpaid work as part of the sentence.
Swiezy fled to Alicante, Spain, but was arrested at Gatwick Airport in April 2016 as he arrived from a flight from Poland. Abdul Faki, 52, of Chandos Road in London, was jailed for 18 months for his part. He was arrested after 486,700 B&B cigarettes were found in a white van he was helping load.
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) investigators saw Mrzyglod and Swiezy supplying non-UK duty paid cigarettes to Faki at a car park in Dorking in December 2015.
http://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/trio-sentenced-after-half-million-13183657
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