Gang jailed over 10 million illegal-cigarettes haul Published duration 17 December 2019

image copyright HMRC image caption Michael Haley (L), Rafal Miller (C) and Grzegorz Kojak (R) admitted excise fraud

Three men have been jailed after customs officers found more than 10 million illegal cigarettes.

Michael Haley, Rafal Miller and Grzegorz Kojak were caught loading the tobacco into a lorry at a farm in Huggate, East Yorkshire in September 2018.

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) said the unpaid duty on the cigarettes came to more than £3m.

The trio pleaded guilty to excise fraud at Hull Crown Court.

The cigarettes had been concealed inside metal containers, which were packed in cardboard boxes.

Brett Wilkinson, from HMRC, said officers were still searching for another man who fled the property during the raid.

"This was a deliberate attempt to flood the streets with illegal cigarettes and deprive our public services of millions of pounds," he said.

"Hayley, Kojak and Miller thought their smuggling scam would go unnoticed - but they were wrong and now they are paying the price."

image copyright HMRC image caption The cigarettes were hidden in cardboard boxes on a lorry

Haley, 39, of Helena Way, Bradford and Miller, 37 from Poland, were jailed for three years and nine months.

Kojak, 50, also from Poland, was sentenced to three years and three months in prison.

They had all admitted a charge of dealing goods with fraudulent intent at an earlier hearing.