Five held in South Yorkshire tobacco fraud raids

FIVE men have been arrested in dawn raids in South Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire by Customs officers investigating a £20 million illegal tobacco fraud.
By The Newsroom
Published 27th May 2011, 13:31 BST

Around 60 investigators from HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) carried out searches in properties early on Friday morning.

With help from local police, commercial and residential properties in Doncaster, Retford and Newark were raided as part of the investigation into the evasion of excise duty on cigarettes and tobacco, and money laundering.

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Two men, aged 27 and 26, were arrested in Doncaster, a 47-year-old man was arrested in Newark, and two men, aged 27 and 23, were arrested in Retford.

Peter Hollier, HMRC’s assistant director for criminal investigation, said the raids were “the culmination of months of work”.

He said: “At present I am unable to give further details as our investigations are continuing.

“However, today’s activities send a clear message to those tempted to become mixed up in crimes of this nature. We take excise fraud and the trade in smuggled tobacco goods extremely seriously and will pursue anyone believed to be actively involved in this type of crime.”