From: U.tv
Cigarettes and tobacco worth more than £6,000 have been uncovered during raids in west Belfast by police and HM Revenue and Customs.
Searches of two premises and a commercial vehicle on Thursday morning revealed 19,000 cigarettes and four kilos of hand rolling tobacco.
It is estimated they are worth almost £6,300 in unpaid excise duty and VAT.
The vehicle was seized by HMRC officers and the other paid £3,400 to recover some of the tobacco products.
John Whiting, Assistant Director Criminal Investigation for HMRC said: “Although you may think you are getting a bargain, you really have no idea what you are paying for.
“Tobacco smuggling is organised fraud on a global scale, encouraging and supporting criminality within our communities, and robbing taxpayers of millions each year in unpaid duty and VAT.”
