Rochdale man sentenced after fingerprints link him to £73,500 cigarette scam

Some of the seized cigarettes

A Rochdale man whose fingerprints were found in two vans in Oldham has been sentenced to 14 months in prison for tobacco fraud after an investigation by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC).

Fingerprints of Soleman Hossein, 36, from Rochdale, were found inside two vans parked outside Dana Kadir’s former home in Oldham, where 112.20kg of tobacco and 68,300 cigarettes were found on 29 September 2016.

HMRC officers were led to Oldham after pulling over a speeding car on the M5 in May 2016.

Araz Rasul, 38, from Gloucester, was being driven in an uninsured car on the M5 in May 2016 when it was stopped by police. Officers found 147.50kg of illegal tobacco on the back seat of the car worth £30,000 in lost duty and taxes. The car and tobacco were seized, and the matter was referred to HMRC to investigate.

HMRC officers tracked down the vehicle’s owner, Kadir, 42, from Runcorn, and were led to the vans at his former home, where the total evasion was taken to more than £73,000.

Forensic examination of the tobacco discovered in the car also revealed the fingerprints of Kheder Howkar Hasan, 31, from Gloucester.

Tracey Noon, Assistant Director, Fraud Investigation Service, HMRC, said: “These men contrived to evade paying duty which is money needed to fund public services. The amount they failed to pay is the equivalent of the starting salary for three nurses.

“Cheating the system undercuts legitimate tobacco traders who play by the rules, and I urge anyone with information about tax fraud to report it to HMRC online, or call our Fraud Hotline on 0800 788 887.”

The men were arrested and charged with the fraudulent evasion of excise duty.

Rasul and Hasan pleaded guilty at Gloucester Crown Court on 29 November 2018, while Kadir and Hossein were found guilty.

They were sentenced at the same court on 3 April to:

• Hossein: 14 months in jail.
• Kadir: 14 months in jail.
• Rasul: A year in jail.
• Hasan: 200 hours of unpaid work. Pay costs of £800.