From: Carmarthen Journal
A CARMARTHENSHIRE man was part of a team of smugglers who brought one of the largest ever hauls of illegal cigarettes into England.
Hidden among fruit, 16.5 million illegal cigarettes were seized in one go by customs officers as they arrived in the Rochdale area in 2011.
Sentenced this week, one member of the three-man team responsible for this is Phillip Steven Hughes, of Penygroes.
In December 2011, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) officers halted their operation which was worth £3.2 million in evaded excise duty.
Hughes faces 24 weeks in prison, suspended for two years for the offence.
But his co-defendants, Anthony Peter Bower, 51, and Neil Michael Pickering, 36, both of Rochdale have been jailed for more than three years each.
