Customs seize 50m fake cigarettes

Nearly 50m counterfeit cigarettes were seized at Felixstowe

Nearly 50 million counterfeit cigarettes have been seized by customs staff at a Suffolk container port.

Many of the cigarettes were found in containers from Asia and the Far East described as containing cloth, food and towels, HM Revenue and Customs said.

The illegal hauls were discovered in the last two months at Felixstowe Port.

An HM Revenue and Customs spokesman said the estimated revenue that the seized cigarettes could have generated was £6.25m.

Kevin Sayer, of HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), said: "Cigarette smuggling and counterfeiting is an organised crime as theses seizures demonstrate, often linked to money laundering and drugs.

"This illegal activity should be condemned by the public.

"Not only are counterfeit cigarettes more dangerous to health due to their unregulated chemical content, but smokers who think wrongly they are getting a bargain don't realise that this trade damages honest business, costs billions in lost revenue and lines the pockets of criminals instead of funding public services."

HMRC estimate 16% of cigarettes smoked in the UK are counterfeit.