Gang convicted for smuggling 12 million cigarettes

David Henry Turner, John Draper,Martin Malloch Eastabrook were found guilty at Ipswich Crown Court this week while Vincent Wilson, Gary Frost and Reuben Butler pleaded guilty either before or during the trial.

The court was told that a “key” member of the gang who was an employee at the docks in Braintree, Essex, was seen by HM Revenue and Customs officers allowing containers to be illegally moved from the port and their contents emptied and returning later with legitimate cargo inside.

Officers kept an eye on the group, who met in car parks and cafes in Essex and Suffolk, before making their move with the help of the police in a dawn raid at a farm in Braintree in October 2005.

Several men were caught unloading the cigarettes into a rented storage barn.

There were 21 people arrested in the sting and 10 have been charged with smuggling offences.

John Phillips, of HMRC, said: “This was a sophisticated attempt to smuggle on a massive scale involving someone in a position of trust.

“Cigarette smuggling is serious, organised crime and often provides the funding for much larger criminal activities.”