Peterborough: 8.3 Million Cigarettes Seized

6 August 2013, 11:44 | Updated: 6 August 2013, 12:12

Three men have been arrested in Peterborough, on suspicion of smuggling around 8.3 million cigarettes into the UK.

It's thought smuggling that number of cigarettes into the UK would have evaded around £1.5 million in excise duty.

The men were arrested by HM Revenue and Customs officials and officers from Cambridgeshire Police on Friday (2 August) morning.

They were arrested as the tobacco was being off-loaded from a lorry from Hungary, in the south of Peterborough.

Two homes, a business unit and three vehicles have also been searched while investigations continue.

The men have been questioned and released on bail until December.

Paul Barton, HMRC Assistant Director Criminal Investigation, said: "Tobacco smuggling undermines legitimate retailers and costs the UK around £1.8 billion a year in lost revenue. 

Anyone with information about the illegal sale or importation of cigarettes should contact the Customs Hotline on 0800 59 5000."