Removals Boss Busted with Two Million Smuggled Cigarettes
This is the jaw-dropping moment a removals company boss was caught red-handed trying to sneak two million counterfeit cigarettes into the UK. The haul was caught on his own dashcam, revealing the panic as Border Force closed in.
Thomas Coulton Jailed for Cigarette Smuggling
Thomas Coulton, 42, from Morecambe, who runs Heysham’s Tommy’s Removals and Storage, has been locked up for two and a half years. He was stopped at Port of Dover’s Eastern Docks on 27 February 2019 after arriving on a ferry from France.
Border Force officers found two million fake Mayfair cigarettes hidden in his lorry’s trailer. Coulton and his 20-year-old employee Reece Fox, also from Morecambe, were arrested. The dodged duty on the haul was a staggering £615,805.
HMRC Warns of Links to Organised Crime
“Cheap cigarettes come at a cost as they often fund organised crime and other illegal activity that causes real harm to our communities, such as drugs, guns and human trafficking. Smugglers are criminals who don’t care who they sell to including children,” said Tom Hunnisett, Assistant Director, Fraud Investigation Service, HMRC.
“The trade in illicit cigarettes damages funding for essential public services and undermines legitimate traders including small, independent corner shops that serve local communities.”
HMRC urges anyone with info on illicit tobacco to report it via the GOV.UK “Report Fraud HMRC” online form.
Dashcam Reveals Panic and Plan
HMRC investigations uncovered the sneaky operation: the men travelled to Brittany, then detoured to Tamines, Belgium, to pick up the illicit cigarettes before heading to the UK.
Dashcam footage caught their swearing and panic as the lorry was stopped. Coulton was overheard saying: “These are going to be all over us. You just remember what we’ve said.”
Further checks showed the vehicle’s tachograph confirming a previous stop in Tamines, backing up the smuggling route.
Guilty Pleas and Sentencing
Both men pleaded guilty at Maidstone Crown Court on 10 September 2021. On 24 February 2022, Coulton was jailed for 30 months. Fox received a 15-month jail term, suspended for 18 months.
