Officers seize 121,000 cigarettes

The cigarettes were brought in between 13 people

More than 120,000 cigarettes have been seized by customs officers from a gang of 13 people trying to smuggle them in via East Midlands Airport.

The cigarettes were seized as the group returned on a flight from Riga, Latvia, on Tuesday afternoon. Officers said the group was mostly from Derbyshire.

The revenue loss to the nation was estimated at about £23,000. No arrests have been made yet.

The cigarettes will now be burnt in an incinerator at a power station.

John MacMillan, detection manager for HM Revenue & Customs, said: "We will not hesitate to take action against those dealing smuggled goods and evading duty.

"Selling illicit tobacco products is not a harmless tax fiddle - it cheats the nation of about £3bn a year, which could be used to fund vital public services such as hospitals and schools."

He added investigations were still ongoing.