HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has successfully dismantled a major cigarette smuggling operation involving eleven men from Bolton. The gang masterminded the importation of approximately 150 million illegal cigarettes into the United Kingdom, evading more than £41 million in tax and excise duties.
The investigation began in August 2017 when HMRC launched an extensive undercover surveillance operation. Over several months, officers gathered evidence by photographing suspects, recording conversations, and monitoring their activities.
During vehicle checks, authorities seized over 2.5 million illegal cigarettes and nearly £1 million in cash. The gang utilised businesses across Lancashire and Staffordshire to coordinate deliveries, swap vans, and exchange illicit tobacco products. A total of fifteen recorded deliveries between October 2017 and February 2018 played a crucial role in securing convictions.
All defendants pleaded guilty during hearings held between 2023 and 2025. On 23 April 2026, Manchester Crown Court handed down sentences. Five ringleaders received custodial sentences exceeding ten years, while the remaining six were given suspended sentences of up to ten years.
The key players and their sentences are as follows:
- Amit Patel (Bolton) – 2 years suspended for conspiracy to evade excise duty.
- Jayun Bhudia (Bolton) – 22 months suspended for conspiracy to evade excise duty.
- David Cook (Liverpool) – 2.5 years’ imprisonment for conspiracy to evade excise duty.
- Paul Dunbavin (Prescot) – 22 months suspended for conspiracy to evade excise duty.
- Altaf Hussein Patel (Bolton) – 15 months suspended for participating in organised crime.
- Jack Mather (Bolton) – 3 years 4 months imprisonment for conspiracy to evade excise duty.
- Pshtewan Khaleed Majeed (Birmingham) – 17 months suspended for organised crime participation.
- Yasir Ali (Bradford) – 22 months suspended for conspiracy to evade excise duty.
- Carl Coxon (Scotland) – 1 year 10 months imprisonment for money laundering.
- Miralam Mohammed Khan (Bolton) – 1 year 4 months imprisonment for money laundering.
- Arkan Hussein (No fixed address) – 1 year 8 months imprisonment for money laundering.
HMRC continues to urge the public to report any suspicions of illegal tobacco or alcohol sales. Information can be submitted securely via the GOV.UK website.
For more details on HMRC’s ongoing efforts to combat tax fraud, visit gov.uk.
Originally published by UKNIP.
