Fake goods seized in raid at car boot sale

More than 12,000 smuggled cigarettes, 5,000 illegal DVDs, 10 kilos of tobacco and a BMW were seized by customs officers during a single raid on a popular South Staffordshire car boot sale, officers revealed today.

Customs officials and police swooped at Mill Lane in Saredon, near Wolverhampton, on Sunday, bagging a haul of smuggled and counterfeit goods as well as one of the seller's cars.

Two men were arrested at the event, where more than 200 sellers had bought pitches, and inquiries were continuing today.

The sale attracts hundreds of bargain hunters from across the area. HM Revenue and Customs officials today revealed the public purse would have been hit by £3,800 in lost revenue on the tobacco alone.

Boot sale organiser Kevin Brown said: "We do what we can to stop them and say in our advertisements that this kind of sale isn't allowed.

"But it isn't something we can police ourselves — there are hundreds of sellers and they obviously don't tell us what they are going to sell."

Keith Morgan, specialist investigation manager for HMRC, said: "Low-cost tobacco products can often seem very attractive to people, lured into purchasing them at what seem like bargain prices.

"However, the truth is these goods have been smuggled and sales are unlicensed and unregulated. Those involved are not concerned if they are selling to children and underage people and the illicit trade has a devastating impact on legitimate retailers and the community."

The seized cigarettes included "cheap whites", some branded Jin Ling.

Cheap whites are made purely for smuggling. They are obtained in large quantities by organised crime gangs who smuggle them into the UK.

They are sold illegally in residential areas, car boot sales and markets, pubs and clubs and some small independent retail shops.

Anyone who can help shop an illegal seller is asked to call the customs hotline on 0800 59 5000.