Fruit Juice Fails To Conceal Cigarettes

A man from Milton Keynes has been sentenced to 15 months imprisonment today, for attempting to smuggle over 2 million cigarettes into the UK.

Conor McDaid, 44, originally from Northern Ireland, was stopped by UK Border Agency Officers on 11 November 2009, after he had arrived at Dover in his lorry on a ferry from France. The lorry was searched and cigarettes were found concealed amongst various boxes of fruit juice. HM Revenue & Customs Criminal Investigators charged McDaid on 18 August 2010, for evading over £400,000 duty on the cigarettes. He was sentenced today (23 November 2010) at Canterbury Crown Court, after pleading guilty at the same court on 12 November 2010.

Martin Brown, Assistant Director, HMRC Criminal Investigation said:

"People like McDaid are motivated solely by greed and personal gain. Tobacco crime costs the UK taxpayer around £2 billion per year in lost revenue, money which could be used to fund schools, hospitals, housing and other public services. Anyone with information about illegal smuggling activities should call the Customs' Hotline on 0800 59 5000 or email customs.hotline@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk"

Upon sentencing His Honour Judge O'Mahoney said:

"You were under the cosh financially ... When ripping off the Government, you are ripping of others in the country. It involves a lot of money and it is a serious crime."