HMRC via SuppliedA woman was caught trying to smuggle more than 45,000 cigarettes from Nigeria to Glasgow for a “wedding gift”.
Oluwafemi Aina was detained at Glasgow Airport after arriving on a flight from Amsterdam in February 2019, having previously flown from Nigeria to Paris.
Border Force seized three suitcases and, following a HMRC investigation, she was found to have evaded £16,000 of excise duty.
The 45-year-old claimed that the 45,400 Benson and Hedges cigarettes were bought in Nigeria as a wedding gift for a friend.
HMRC via SuppliedFollowing a trial at Paisley Sheriff Court on October 19, Aina was found guilty and sentenced to 300 hours of unpaid work to be completed over a year.
Lynsey Thompson, HMRC’s fraud investigation service operational lead, said: “Cheap cigarettes often fund organised crime and other illegal activity that causes real harm to our communities.
“We are determined to stamp out tobacco fraud by working closely with our Serious Organised Crime Taskforce partners at the Scottish Crime Campus.”
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