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Scots jailed for fags stash in fruit and ye
Page 14
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by Emma Penny Two Scotsmen have been jailed for their part in attempting to smuggle almost three tonnes of tobacco and 78,000 cigarettes into the UK concealed in two loads of cauliflowers and pears. A third man involved In the operation has absconded, and a warrant has been issued for his arrest.
David Neilson of Shotts. Lanarkshire has been sentenced to four years' imprisonment on two counts of attempting to smuggle tobacco into the UK. Craig Malone, of Newton Stewart in Dumfries and Galloway, was sentenced to 21 months for the same offences.
Bournemouth Crown Court heard that on 12 March 2002, Customs stopped a truck as it arrived in Poole from Cherbourg. Documents said it was carrying cauliflowers, but a search of the Irish-registered tractor unit and UK-registered trailer found 936kg of tobacco and 36,000 cigarettes hidden behind pallets of cauliflowers. The contraband and the truck and trailer were seized.
The driven William Colquhoun of Perth. was arrested and charged with attempting to smug gle excise goods into the UK without paying duty.
Further enquiries by Customs led to the offices of Alba Refrigerated Transport in Perth; the company's manager, Neilson, was arrested and then charged. The investigation also linked Alba to another seizure of tobacco In Dover in October 2001, when 1,926kg of tobacco and 42.000 cigarettes were seized. The lorry driver, Malone, was traced and arrested as he arrived at Immingham in September 2002, and was charged on both counts, Coleuhoun. a driver and director at Alba, absconded before the trial and a warrant has been issued for his arrest.
STOMS EXCISE
Customs spokesman Bob Galger says: ''We believe that Alba Refrigerated Transport was a company set up specifically to smuggle huge quantities of tobacco from the Continent. Using fruit and vegetables as a cover, it was thought that Customs would wave these extremely perishable goods through without checking the lead. But this was not so, and Customs will search any load they think is suspicious.