Wolverhampton taxi driver's bid to smuggle 250 kilos of tobacco goes up in smoke
A taxi driver's attempt to smuggle 250 kilos of tobacco went up in smoke when his car burst into flames on the M5.
Hawraz Mohammed Salih, who was working as a private-hire driver in the city, was caught with tobacco worth £50,000 in tax duty in black bin bags on the motorway near to Halesowen.
Salih, aged 39, was driving southbound on the M5 in April last year when his blue Vauxhall Astra caught fire.
Fire crews attended and put out the flames and it was there they discovered the large quantity of non-duty-paid tobacco hidden in the back of the taxi.
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) officers were alerted and Salih of Crosby Close, Whitmore Reans, Wolverhampton was arrested.
During questioning, Salih claimed he had been flagged down near his home by an unknown man, who had paid him £100 in cash to take the consignment to a Gloucestershire address. He claimed he was unaware that excise duty had not been paid on the tobacco.
At Worcester Crown Court last month he admitted evading tobacco duty. Last week he was given a 12 month community order, including six months supervised which must include classes to improve his English. Salih must also carry out 150 hours of unpaid work.
Colin Booker, assistant director, criminal investigation, HMRC, said: "Salih's day started badly with a vehicle fire, and became considerably worse when his stash of illegally smuggled tobacco was discovered. That tobacco would most likely have ended up on the streets, creating an unregulated supply and undercutting honest retailers.
"Anyone tempted to get involved in criminality should be wary – more fraudsters, smugglers and benefit cheats are being prosecuted than ever before. We will not cease in our efforts to investigate tobacco duty evasion."
