Cigarette smugglers £10,000 fine
17.10.08
A married couple who smuggled nearly 30,000 cigarettes in to the UK via Bristol Airport have had £10,000 of criminal gain confiscated.
John Weatherall, 63, and his wife Linda, 62, of Margrett Road, Cheltenham, hid the cigarettes, as well as tobacco, in their luggage when they returned home from a trip to Spain, Bristol Crown Court heard. A search of their home revealed they already had 28,600 cigarettes and 9 kg of tobacco, on which they should have paid £6,374.58 duty.
The Weatheralls admitted concealing goods with intent to defraud and fraudulently evading duty, on March 14. John Weatherall was given an 8 month jail sentence, and his wife a 12 month community order, with 6 months’ supervision and a 3 month curfew, in which she must stay at home between 19:00 and 07:00.
Yesterday, Judge John Foley heard John Weatherall’s criminal benefit was calculated at £8,280.56 and his wife’s benefit was said to be £1,779.61. He allowed the couple 6 months each to pay.
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