Jailed: Forest Gate scaffolder who helped smuggle 12million cigarettes in £3.6m tax swindle
Egidijus Kairys has been jailed for three years. Pic: HMRC - Credit: Archant
A scaffolder from Forest Gate has been jailed for his role in a £3.6million tax swindle where 12 million cigarettes were smuggled into the UK.
Egidijus Kairys, 44, of Forest Lane, was part of a five-strong gang behind the audacious operation where the cigarettes were sneaked into the country from Ukraine inside wooden cable drum discs to avoid duty tax.
The gang were caught red-handed unloading the cigarettes from the hollowed out concealments at an industrial unit in Stanley, County Durham, in April 2015.
Yesterday at Newcastle Crown Court Kairys, who drove the gang from Luton Airport to the rented industrial unit, was jailed for three years.
Ringleader Dainius Pranskaitis, from Catford, south east London, was sentenced to four-and-a-half years
Pranskaitis’ nephew Kristupas Strasunskas was jailed for 18 months and father and son, Linas, 46, and 23-year-old Haroldas Bernotas were sentenced to two-and-half years and two years, respectively.
All were convicted of excise fraud.
Most Read
- 1 Revealed: Cause of Plaistow tower block fire which left 5 men in hospital
- 2 Bow Lock murder defendants blame each other for fatal attack
- 3 Revealed: Cause of terraced houses blaze in East Ham
- 4 60 firefighters deal with Plaistow tower block fire
- 5 Two 'child abduction' arrests after three-year-old girl reported missing
- 6 Antonio hopes short summer break helps West Ham bid
- 7 Moncur 'overwhelmed' to join Leyton Orient
- 8 East Ham fire: Terraced houses damaged by blaze as woman treated at scene
- 9 Truck towing stolen Rolls Royce SUV crashes before dramatic foot chase
- 10 Fares Maatou was 'murdered with stolen sword', court hears
Eden Noblett, assistant director, HMRC’s fraud investigation service, said: “This was a sophisticated operation that flooded the North East with illegal cigarettes. The gang stole from our public services as well as harming legitimate and hardworking businesses. HMRC will not tolerate criminals who think this is an acceptable way to do business.
“Disrupting criminal trade is at the heart of our strategy to clamp down on the illicit tobacco market.
“I encourage anyone with information about tobacco fraud to contact our Fraud Hotline on 0800 788 887.”