Cigarette smugglers jailed

The pair, from Northern Ireland, were sentenced for a total of six years and three months at Southampton Crown Court on Tuesday.

Adrian Wilson and Paul Johnston had pleaded guilty to charges of evasion of duty at an earlier hearing on April 16.

Pete Avery, senior investigations officer for HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) said: 'This is an excellent result for all honest traders who have to compete against smuggled goods. Our operation was part of continuing efforts by HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) to stamp out the trade in smuggling cigarettes. This illegal activity costs the taxpayer nearly 3 billion a year in lost revenue, money which if collected, could be funding schools, hospitals and other important public services.'

The court heard that the cigarettes were discovered by Customs officers at Newhaven on October 17 2005 as they checked vehicles arriving on a ferry from Dieppe. They searched a lorry belonging to Loughview Haulage.

The DAF articulated lorry was pulling a refrigerated trailer and officers found the cigarettes hidden beneath pallets of frozen pizza toppings. In total, 3,994,700 Lambert & Butler cigarettes were seized and were later found to be counterfeit.