More than 1000 litres of booze seized in Kent raids
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More than a thousand litres of illegal alcohol has been seized
during raids on shops in Kent.
The action by HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) took place in
Gillingham today. 
Officers from the HMRC inland detection teams raided two stores
in a joint operation with Medway police, the UK Border Agency and
Medway Council.
The alcohol had not had UK duty paid on it.
In total, 670 litres of Italian wine and 475 litres of spirits
were seized.
The potential duty not paid amounted to more than £4,600. No
arrests were made but enquiries are continuing.
Bob Gaiger, from HM Revenue & Customs said: “We estimate
that spirits fraud alone deprives the public purse of around £350
million a year in lost revenue.
"Anyone engaged in handling or selling smuggled alcohol should
be aware that HMRC teams are active in the area and we are
committed to stopping this activity.
Detective Constable Mark Horner, licensing officer in Medway
added: “This multi-agency operation has proved to be very
successful and we are very pleased that our colleagues from HMRC
were able to assist with the investigation.
“The evasion of duty on alcohol and tobacco is not a victimless
crime. This type of crime undermines the economy of this country
and directly impacts on the social and economic fabric of our
society and the community we serve. This is a rolling joint
operation between our partner agencies and we will be visiting more
premises in the near future.”
Anyone aware of illicit alcohol being sold should call the
Customs’ Hotline on 0800 595000 or email customs.hotline@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk
Thursday, March 11 2010
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