A man has been charged following the discovery of over one million bootleg cigarettes in a West Lothian warehouse.
The 57 year old, from Glasgow, was charged with Excise Duty fraud, after the seizure of approximately 2.2 million suspected illicit cigarettes from the warehouse in Whitburn.
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) officers searching a business unit in Glasgow’s Southside on Monday uncovered eight pallets of cigarettes believed to be worth £795,000 in lost duty.
Two men aged 57 and 53 were charged with the fraud after being arrested and interviewed by HMRC officers.
The 57 year old was also charged with a £408,000 Excise Duty fraud related to another seizure of 1.1m suspected illicit cigarettes in Whitburn on April 27.
The pair have been released while enquiries continue.
The news follows an unrelated operation where 1.8 tonnes of compressed raw tobacco leaf was discovered and seized by HMRC officers from a haulage depot in Wishaw on Friday, June 24.
When processed, this would produce two tonnes of illicit hand rolling tobacco with an estimated duty loss of £782,000. Enquiries are ongoing.
Joe Hendry, assistant director, Fraud Investigation Service, HMRC, said: “The trade in illicit cigarettes and tobacco damages funding for essential public services and undermines legitimate traders including small, independent corner shops that serve local communities.
“HMRC continues to work closely with our partners in Scotland’s Serious Organised Crime Taskforce to relentlessly pursue the determined minority who refuse to play by the rules.
“Anyone with information about the illegal sale of cigarettes and tobacco should report it to HMRC online at gov.uk.”
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