A convicted tobacco smuggler from Huddersfield who was caught storing and selling illegal cigarettes, hand rolling tobacco and cigars has been forced to repay £15,000 of his criminal profits.
David Saville, 62, of Crosland Moor, was convicted of tobacco smuggling offences on August 9 this year after an investigation by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC).
He was sentenced to four months in prison, suspended for two years, and 160 hours’ unpaid work.
At a confiscation hearing at Leeds Crown Court yesterday he was ordered to repay the money made from his criminal enterprise.
Dave Cowie, Assistant Director Criminal Investigation HMRC, said: “David Saville made a considerable profit from selling illegal cigarettes and tobacco and, after his conviction, it is only right that he pay back the money that he earned at the expense of taxpayers.
“We are determined to ensure that criminals who commit fraud are not only prosecuted, but are also forced to hand back their illegal profits.”
Saville was caught by customs officers in August 2012 after they discovered more than 47,000 duty free cigarettes, 66kg of hand-rolling tobacco and 100 cigars hidden in the loft of his bungalow and in his car.
All of the items were seized, including his car, which had been used to transport the illegal goods.
Financial investigators discovered Saville had used the money to fund a comfortable lifestyle, having recently paid off his mortgage and spent more than £10,000 in less than 12 months on foreign holidays.
Investigators found he had also amassed a significant balance in his savings account and was living day-to-day from the profit of his illegal sideline. The monthly wage from his “day job” lay almost untouched in his bank account.
