A lorry driver, who claimed he was bringing in just five packets of cigarettes into Kent was actually smuggling in smokes worth more than £2m.

Lucian Stefan's truck was stopped at Dover docks on February 19 when officials found 11,700 cartons of kingsize cigarettes and 143 kilograms of hand rolling tobacco stashed in unmarked cardboard boxes among steel imports.

Prosecutor Lucy McGarr told Maidstone Crown Court that duty evaded totalled £784,375.

She said that when officials checked the driver's WhatsApp messages from fellow Romanian Mihai Chiru, they included ones with details of the two pick-up locations on the continent for both the legitimate and illicit cargo.

Chiru, 46, of Stonebridge Road, Northfleet, and Stefan, 48, from Bragadiru, Romania, both admitted duty evasion after an investigation by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC).

Chiru, who runs his own small haulage company and has lived in Britain for approximately 10 years, admitted "directing" Stefan in what was said to be a "one-off" smuggling operation.

But the prosecutor added that Chiru was "visibly shocked" when told the number of cigarettes found onboard.

Chiru was jailed for two years and two months, while Stefan, who has been in custody since his arrest, was given 20 months' imprisonment suspended for two years and fined £3,000.

The judge, Recorder Alistair Webster QC said: "It needs to be understood that the amount of money lost to the public purse as a result of smuggling is a huge one and has a serious effect on public finances, especially at a time when the UK government in common with many others is under severe financial pressure."

Stefan was given until February next year to pay his fine or serve three months' jail in default.

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