Germans hold Brits in smuggling case
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• Two British drivers are being held in a German prison for their alleged involvement in a large scale alcohol smuggling ring. Suffolk-based Adam Letham and Essex-based Wayne Rosamund were arrested on 18 January when they were picking up alcohol from a German warehouse in Trier. Neither man has been formally charged but they can be held by the German authorities for six months from the date of arrest without charge.
Both men, who were working for a Kent firm at the time. maintain their innocence. They are said to be depressed; Rosamund has lost 20Ibs in weight and Latham has recently attempted suicide. The details surrounding the case remain unclear but up to six men are reported to have been arrested at the same time.
While there has been no confirmation from UK or German Customs officials, it is rumoured that the arrests are part of a crackdown on a long-running tax evasion and smuggling ring. The trials are not expected until the end of the year. Rosamund's wife says she is struggling to pay the bills. "It's a nightmare," she adds. "We've lost our house over this."
Last year CM reported that Kent-based driver Eddie Belfield had been extradited to Germany for his alleged involvement in a similar tax evasion ring which was operating between Switzerland, Germany and the UK. He was later released.