Illegal Importing of Alcohol

Customs estimate that the value of revenue evaded and revenue lost (both duty and VAT) was £500 million in 1999.

The abolition of routine frontier controls may have contributed to a rapid rise in cross-channel smuggling of alcohol.

Customs are working closely with other agencies including the police, local authorities, Benefits Agency and the Inland Revenue to develop a national task force approach.

There are three main types of fraud threatening alcohol revenues;

• Cross-channel smuggling of duty-paid alcohol, often referred to as the ‘white-van trade,

• Diversion fraud, where alcohol traveling ‘duty and tax suspended’ are diverted onto the UK home market without payment of duty or tax.

• Freight smuggling, mainly of spirits where goods are smuggled back into this country after being exported.

In 1999-00, the revenue value of alcohol detections totalled £50 million. In addition, Customs’ specialist investigators prevented revenue evasion of some £270 million.

Further details from; Headquarters, Custom House, Lower Thames Street, London. Tel;020 7283 5353.

A joint intelligence model is in operation between Kent police and Customs and Excise. Agencies are working in partnership both at a national and local level to tackle ‘boot-legging’ and alcohol-related crime.

Contact Detective Inspector Alan Atherfield tel;01304 218047.