Two accused of fag smuggling

CUSTOMS officers at Felixstowe uncovered an attempt to smuggle nearly six million cigarettes into the country, a court heard.The 300,000 packets of cigarettes were in a container purporting to hold the personal belongings of a woman called Winifred Murphy, Ipswich Crown Court was told.

CUSTOMS officers at Felixstowe uncovered an attempt to smuggle nearly six million cigarettes into the country, a court heard.

The 300,000 packets of cigarettes were in a container purporting to hold the personal belongings of a woman called Winifred Murphy, Ipswich Crown Court was told.

However, when customs officers opened the container, which had been shipped from Tenerife, they found 5,968,000 cigarettes on which duty of £764,000 should have been paid, said Richard Milne prosecuting.

Before the court are Denis Price, 47, of Oldham, and Kevin Lovell, 39, from Somerset.

They have both denied being involved in an attempt to evade paying duty on the illegally imported cigarettes.

Mr Milne claimed the defendants were instrumental in arranging for the onward passage of the container after it arrived in Felixstowe.

However after their arrest both defendants denied being involved in the smuggling attempt and claimed they had been innocent dupes.

The trial continues.