Two convicted following huge tobacco tax fraud

Two men from Middleton have been convicted for the part they played in a massive tobacco tax fraud which saw the gang sell millions of illegal cigarettes while dodging millions of pounds in tax.

The whole operation was eventually brought down thanks to a simple silver notebook which helped HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) smash the crime.

Sixty-four-year old John Bailey, of Mosedale Road in Middleton, was sent to prison in June 2017 for 12 months while 57-year old Mark Wood, of Rochdale Road in Middleton, received a 12-month prison sentence, suspended for 12 months.

He has also been ordered to repay £32,808 or face a further 14 months in jail and still owe the money.

The silver dealer book belonged to Iqbal Haji.

He was the ringleader, playing the key role in the distribution ofmore than 44 million illegal cigarettes and 38,000kg of hand rolling tobacco across the North West of England.

When officers searched his Blackburn home, in September 2014, they found more than £100,000 in criminal cash, including £48,000 hidden inside a freezer drawer containing chicken nuggets and £19,000 in his pillowcase.

They also discovered meticulous records of his illegal trade in a second dealer book that helped prove how the network evaded more than £16 million of duty between 2010 and 2014.

Haji was jailed for six years in 2016 while eight of his customers have now been handed immediate and suspended sentences totalling 15 years and seven months and ordered to repay more than £731,000.

The last customer to be sentenced, John Swanick (63), of Weaste Avenue, Little Hulton, Manchester, was jailed today at Manchester Crown Court.

Swanick evaded more than £319,000 in taxes and pleaded guilty to two counts of evading excise duty.

Haji’s dealer books showed he bought illegal tobacco from him on 127 different occasions between 2011 and 2014.

Sandra Smith, Assistant Director, Fraud Investigation Service, HMRC, said: “Iqbal Haji is a greedy, arrogant criminal who hid behind a veil of respectability while orchestrating an organised, sustained and despicable attack on the public purse.

“His notebooks were like gold dust. They provided a detailed record of how this criminal conspiracy peddled cut-price, illegal cigarettes at the expense of legitimate traders and the UK taxpayer.

“We are determined to create a level playing field for local businesses, by disrupting the trade in illegal cigarettes. Criminal networks like this steal money that should be spent on our schools and hospitals.

“Anyone with information about the trade in smuggled or counterfeit tobacco can report it to us online or contact our Fraud Hotline on 0800 788 887.”