Three men detained after Glasgow illicit tobacco raid

Three men have been charged after 4.2m cigarettes were seized by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) during a raid at a warehouse in Glasgow, Scotland.

The illicit products are estimated to be worth as much as £1.6m ($2.1m) in lost duty and taxes to the Treasury. Further investigations by enforcement agencies led to the discovery of a tobacco manufacturing facility in Hamilton, which housed two industrial mixing machines, a tobacco shredding machine, packaging materials and 45kg of tobacco.

The three men – from Airdrie, North Lanarkshire and aged between 25 and 34 – were arrested and charged with Excise Duty fraud and money laundering offences. Some £20,000 cash was also seized from one of the properties. They have been released pending further investigation, according to HMRC.

The illicit tobacco market costs the UK around £1.9bn a year, according to the HMRC.