Two men from Cornwall have been given suspended jail sentences after admitting defrauding the Government out of tens of thousands of pounds in unpaid tobacco tax.
Anthony Mutton, 54 and Lindsey Mayne, 56, dodged paying HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) around £61,000 in excise duty after they were caught with 371 kilos of illicit hand rolling tobacco.
The pair were sentenced this week at Truro Crown Court.
They were arrested in July last year on suspicion of evading duty on hand rolling tobacco.
Officers from HMRC stopped a white van being driven by Mutton and when they searched the vehicle unearthed 160kgs of tobacco and more than £200 in cash.
Both men's home addresses at Redruth were searched and a further 190kgs of tobacco was discovered hidden in Mayne's garage and a further 21kgs in his bedroom.
The pair, who are both unemployed, were each charged with two counts of dealing with goods with fraudulent intent.
Mutton of Paynters Lane End, pleaded guilty to the two counts when he appeared at Truro Crown Court on January 25.
On the same day at the same court Mayne, of North Country, entered one guilty plea. He returned to court on February 27 to enter a second guilty plea.
Mutton was sentenced to 20 weeks for each offence, to run concurrently, suspended for two years.
He was also ordered to complete 150 hours of community service and pay £300 prosecution costs. His Peugeot van has already been seized by HMRC officers.
Mayne was sentenced to ten weeks and 20 weeks, to run concurrently, suspended for two years.
He was told to pay £1,500 in prosecution costs and has a 7pm to 7am curfew for four months.
Speaking after the case Simon De-Kayne, HMRC Assistant Director Criminal Investigation said the illegal tobacco trade was undermining the British economy.
He said: "These men were caught with a large quantity of illicit hand rolling tobacco which is believed to have been destined for the streets and bars of Cornwall.
"This type of crime not only undermines legitimate retailers who have to compete with illegal imports, but also costs the UK economy around £2 billion a year.
"Anyone with information about such criminal activity should contact the Customs' Hotline on 0800 59 5000."
