Contraband Cigarettes Importers face Confiscation!
At a Confiscation Hearing before HHJ Phipps at Liverpool Crown Court on 5th May 2006, Mr Thomas MONTEITH, 61, of Stonnall, Walsall, Staffordshire, was found to have benefited to an amount of £123,826.72 (The value of the 803,600 cigarettes seized from his van). Mr James SHAW, 58, of Middleton, Manchester, was found to have benefited to an amount of no less than £33,327.80 (Half of the equity in his home).
On Tuesday 24th May 2005, Thomas MONTEITH was seen to drive a Mercedes van, vehicle registration mark ML52PXY, to Huyton, Liverpool, where he was met by another male, James SHAW, on the Burtonwood Service Area. The two males spoke with each other and then drove the vehicles off in convoy to a self-storage depot in Reddish, Manchester.
The van driven by the MONTEITH was seen to reverse up to a blue Vauxhall Zafira, vehicle registration mark MJ04HDA. This vehicle is registered to SHAW’s wife.
On Tuesday 31st May 2005, MONTEITH again drove the van, ML52PXY to Huyton, Liverpool, where he met SHAW, who was driving his Zafira, on the car park of a public house. At this stage officers from Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs arrested the two males.
Both vehicles were searched at the scene; the van was seen to contain 803,600 cigarettes and in the front nearside footwell of the Zafira was £40,000 in cash. Customs Officers seized these items. It is suspected that the money seized from SHAW was to be transferred to MONTEITH as part of the criminal arrangement in relation to the purchase of the non-duty paid cigarettes.
A Cash Seizure Hearing took place at Nottingham Magistrates Court in December 2005, the Hearing was not contested and the Magistrate then forfeited the monies (£40,000). Also, a further search of the self-storage depot at Reddish revealed 1.4 million cigarettes and a further 17,000 were found at SHAW’s home address.
The defendants appeared at Liverpool Crown Court on the 07th December 2005, where they pleaded Guilty to the Indictment and on then again appeared on 06th February 2006 when SHAW was sentenced to 16 months imprisonment and MONTEITH to 12 month’s imprisonment.
The Confiscation Hearing took place at Liverpool Crown Court on Friday 05th May 2006 before HHJ Phipps.
Thomas MONTEITH, a married 61-year-old self-employed nurseryman of Stonnall, Walsall, Staffordshire, had no previous convictions.
He was found to have benefited to an amount of £123,826.72 (The value of the 803,600 cigarettes seized from his van). He was ordered to pay this amount by 3rd November 2006, with a default sentence of 27 months imprisonment, to run consecutively.
James SHAW, a married 58-year-old unemployed of Middleton, Manchester, had no previous convictions.
He was found to have benefited to an amount of no less than £33,327.80 (Half of the equity in his home). He was ordered to pay this amount by 3rd November 2006, with a default sentence of 15 months imprisonment, to run consecutively.
Assets seized
£40,000 cash seized from SHAW’s vehicle was forfeited at Nottingham Magistrates Court.
2.4 million cigarettes seized by officers from HMR&C Nottingham. (These are to be destroyed)