Customs swoop nets 7m cigarettes

The cigarettes were hidden behind two rows of blackcurrant boxes

More than 7m cigarettes hidden behind boxes of frozen blackcurrants have been seized by customs officers at the Humber port of Immingham.

The duty evaded on the 7.3m cigarettes is estimated at £1.9m, said a spokesman for HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC).

The consignments, which originated in Lithuania, arrived on 15 April in two refrigerated trailers aboard the Tor Britannia from Esbjerg in Denmark.

Nobody has been arrested but inquiries are continuing, an HMRC spokesman said.

John Kinghorn, HMRC's head of detection for the North, said: "This is a large seizure of cigarettes, probably counterfeit, that without the intervention of HMRC officers would have made it onto the streets of Grimsby, Hull and the surrounding areas.

"Counterfeit cigarettes are especially dangerous and they may contain even higher concentrations of harmful substances than their genuine counterparts.

"Any illegal tobacco product on our streets has a detrimental effect on the local economy as well as losing vital duty for public funds."