£1.7 million of tobacco seized in Wednesbury raid
These pictures show the huge haul of illicit tobacco worth £1.7m seized by police in a raid in the Black Country.
Officers from HM Revenue and Customs stormed a self storage unit, and discovered 10 tons of tobacco which is thought to have been smuggled from China disguised as tea.
Five men were caught unloading the haul from the unit in Wednesbury on Tuesday, and subsequently arrested.
Adrian Farley, assistant director of criminal investigation for HMRC, said: "This significant would have been farmed out across the region, most likely being used to produce fake pouches of hand rolling tobacco and then sold on local streets as the genuine product. These goods have been smuggled, often by organised crime gangs, and sales are unlicensed and unregulated."
The men, aged between 32 and 66, have now been bailed until July 9 at local police stations while investigations continue.
Last year 1,857 million cigarettes and 483 tons of hand rolling tobacco were seized by HMRC, with a potential loss in revenue of around £2bn. Officers have discovered high levels of chemicals in them as well as sawdust, rat droppings and even camel dung.
Anyone with information regarding suspected smuggling and fraud can contact the customs hotline on 0800 59 5000.
