Pubdate: Mon, 12 Oct 1998 Source: Scotsman (UK) Contact: (c) ŠThe Scotsman Publications Ltd Website: http://www.scotsman.com/ Author: Tanya Thompson HUGE HAUL OF TOBACCO SEIZED BY CUSTOMS CUSTOMS officers have seized what is thought to be the biggest haul of smuggled tobacco in Scotland. The surveillance operation which began in England netted five million cigarettes, the equivalent of 250,000 packets. A team from the Customs and Excise National Investigation Service (NIS) had been following developments after a container ship docked at Felixstowe in Suffolk and they eventually intercepted the load in Granton, Edinburgh. Eight people have been arrested and one man has been charged and released on bail. An NIS investigator said that the cigarettes, which were in a container of linen from Egypt, were part of a growing trade in contraband tobacco. He said that the high cost of cigarettes in Britain was partly responsible. "There is so much revenue involved in tobacco that smuggling is very worthwhile." he said. The trade in contraband cigarettes costs the Scottish economy tens of millions of pounds a year. Authorities are now preparing for an increase in cigarette smuggling into Scottish airports between now and 1 December when 20p goes on to the price of a packet of 20 in the UK. Popular brand names can be bought for as little as UKP7 for a carton of 200, a quarter of what they cost in Britain. They are then sold to street traders, markets and shopkeepers who sell them at a huge profit. Smuggling costs British taxpayers an estimated UKP1 billion a year in lost duty. Two years ago, less than half of the tobacco sold in Britain was smuggled in, but the proportion has now soared to 67 per cent. One of the main gateways for smuggled consignments is Glasgow airport, which is used increasingly by organised crime gangs from the north-east of England. Organised criminals are said to be moving away from drugs such as cannabis and Ecstasy and into tobacco smuggling. Not only can the trade be more profitable, but the penalties, if the criminals are caught, are less severe than for hard drugs. In the run-up to Christmas, Custom officers are starting a crackdown on retailers who sell smuggled alcohol and tobacco. Operation Mistletoe will target shops, pubs and clubs throughout the UK. - --- Checked-by: Patrick Henry