
Leicester man jailed after gang caught with 1.2 million illegal cigarettes.
A man from Leicester caught red-handed in a car park has been jailed for his role in a huge cigarette smuggling plot.
Atlaf Umarji was a member of a gang which was arrested with more than 1.2 million non-duty paid cigarettes outside a Little Chef in the Stoke area in January 2014.
The operation, led by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) investigators, resulted in the seizure of a haul of 777 branded cigarettes, worth more than £600,000 in unpaid duty.
Umarji, of Gwendolen Road, attempted to escape in a van and was filmed throwing cigarettes out of the window as he drove away, HMRC said.
The 50-year-old and his accomplices – Paul Taft, Surinder Heer and Mark Taylor – appeared at Stoke Crown Court last week and pleaded guilty to fraudulent evasion of excise duty.
https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/leicester-news/leicester-man-jailed-after-gang-2420428
Related Posts
Details emerge about Indy counterfeiting ring
A counterfeiting operation busted last week in Indianapolis used high-quality...
Call Centers: New Battle Front for Fake Drugs
The new front line in rooting out fake medicine is an elusive one.This bustling...
Immigration officer detained at Tiruchi airport over gold smuggling
An Assistant Immigration Officer at Tiruchi international airport has been...
Counterfeit baseball caps at center of federal investigation
Federal agents are investigating a case of counterfeit baseball hats coming from...