Pair arrested and huge haul of illegal tobacco seized from vans

An estimated £560,000 worth of illegal tobacco was seized following an excellent coordinated team effort involving Nottinghamshire Police’s Operational Support department. 

Two vans were located and officers stopped them as they made their way into Nottinghamshire. 

A tactical plan was required to stop the vans, one of which was thought to be heading northbound along the M1 with the other travelling along the A1. 

One of the vans, which was spotted leaving the M1 slip road at junction 27 signposted for Mansfield, was stopped after officers used their vehicles to box it in.

A 34-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of illegally importing tobacco.

The van, which contained a large quantity of boxed illegal tobacco, was stopped thanks to joint work involving the force control room, roads policing unit, road crime team, and dog unit. 

Simultaneously, officers located the other van heading along the A1.

This time, the force control room, armed response vehicles, tactical support group, and dog unit all worked together as tactics were put in place. 

It led to a stinger being successfully deployed and the van being boxed in and stopped just north of Blyth services. 

A 51-year-old man was detained on suspicion of the improper importation of goods with intent to defraud His Majesty of duty.

Officers again found a large quantity of boxed tobacco when they searched the van. 

The two successful stops were carried out around 11am on Thursday 7 November. Both suspects were released under investigation while inquiries continue. 

Detective Chief Inspector Leslie Charlton, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “I can’t praise the Operational Support staff who were involved in this fast-moving deployment enough and whose coordinated teamwork managed to achieve a hugely successful result. 

“Thanks to some great work, tactical plans were quickly devised and put into action which led to these two vehicles stops and recovery of a substantial amount of illegal tobacco. 

“It is suggested at this stage that we have taken approximately £560,000 worth of illegal tobacco off the roads.

"We will continue to work with our partners to disrupt illegal activity on our roads and catch criminals using our road network to commit crime.” 

The case has been passed to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) for investigation.