Teen tagged over cigarette smuggling
06.03.08
A teenager who admitted trying to smuggle 16,600 cigarettes into the UK through East Midlands Airport has been given a six month curfew order, enforced by tagging. The order requires her to stay at her home between 20:00 and 08:00 every night.
Rebecca Berry, 18, of Downs Lane, Hetton, was arrested and charged after trying to take the cigarettes through the airport on February 11 after arriving on a flight from Tenerife. She pleaded guilty to smuggling 16,600 cigarettes and evading duty of £2,678.
Ms Berry had been stopped by Customs officers trying to smuggle cigarettes on two previous occasions. She was stopped at Newcastle Airport in January with 16,600 cigarettes and at Heathrow in May last year trying to smuggle 17,000 cigarettes. On both occasions, the goods were seized and a verbal warning and written warning was given.
Speaking after Ms Berry's appearance at Loughborough Magistrates' Court, John Macmillan, detection manager for HM Revenue and Customs at East Midlands Airport, said: ‘We hope this sends a clear message to those involved in cigarette smuggling that we will take action to seize the goods and bring criminal proceedings.'
Add to: del.icio.us | Digg it | Newsvine | NowPublic | Reddit
To book a east midlands airport hotels or east midlands airport parking at the lowest price click on these links to east midlands airport parking and east midlands airport hotels price comparison websites.
