NORTH-EAST customs officers have made the biggest ever seizure of smuggled cigarettes at a British airport after an operation early on Christmas Day.

Customs and Excise officers at Newcastle Airport seized two million cigarettes bound for the streets of the North-East after foiling the biggest flight-based smuggling operation known.

Officers intercepted the contraband as it was being brought into the UK on a flight from Tenerife, which touched down at Newcastle at 1am on Christmas Day.

The cigarettes were in 146 pieces of luggage, and officers believe the number of people from the gang on the flight could be in double figures. The operation, which follows lengthy intelligence-gathering, has foiled a smuggling run that officers believe could have netted the smugglers more than £300,000.

The gang members abandoned their suitcases after they realised a Customs and Excise operation was under way, and no one was arrested at the airport.

However, officers say they have identified several people, including many who were previously known to them, from the passenger list, and will be visiting houses in the region over the coming days.

A Customs and Excise spokesman said: "They obviously thought they could get in on Christmas Day because things would be quiet, but they were wrong.

"This was obviously a very organised run. The smugglers do try us out, they will try something on this scale when it is almost certain few Customs officers will be on duty, but we were waiting for them with a full team. They have decided to blitz that flight, but it was their mistake that we have decided to blitz it as well."