Belfast man fined £175,000 for smuggling cigarettes

A Belfast man has been ordered to pay £175,000 at Belfast Crown Court for the possession and distribution of over 1.2 million smuggled cigarettes.

Ashok Brian Kumar, 54, from Mountainvale Crescent in Glengormley had pleaded guilty to two charges relating to 1,235,200 illegally imported cigarettes, evading revenue of around £180,000.

He also received an 18 month suspended sentence.

The court heard that Kumar was arrested in Belfast by HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) officers on 7 August 2002, when a search of his car uncovered 61,200 illegally imported cigarettes.

During follow up searches in the Glengormley area a further 1,174,000 illegal cigarettes were seized from a garage and van used by Kumar.

In his summing up, Mr Justice Deeny told the court that although this was a serious offence Mr Kumar was being given credit for pleading at the first available opportunity, and for the fact that the trial had taken a considerable time to come to trial.

Anne-Marie Gordon, Head of Investigation for HMRC Northern Ireland, said: “Tobacco smuggling is not a victimless crime: it is run by organised criminal gangs with no regard to the harm they cause to our communities.

“Smugglers undercut law-abiding businesses and use the proceeds to fund other types of organised crime.”

She continued: “It costs the taxpayer nearly £3 billion a year in lost revenue, and deprives us all of funding for facilities such as schools and hospitals.”

(JM/KMcA)