CUSTOMS chiefs fired a stern warning to organised crime gangs last night after smashing audacious bids to smuggle more than 750,000 cigarettes through North-East airports.

A series of dramatic swoops by anti-smuggling officers culminated at Teesside Airport on Saturday, when they recorded one of the largest seizures from a single flight in Britain this year.

The recovery of 529,560 contraband cigarettes was hailed as a major breakthrough in the war against smugglers targeting the region's airports.

The majority were seized from 19 passengers on board the 6.30am flight into Teesside from Tenerife, while 72,200 had been abandoned in a case on the baggage carousel.

Two men were arrested, including one who was captured in the car park as he fled from officers. They are being interviewed.

On Friday night, 80,000 illegally smuggled cigarettes were found at Newcastle Airport, some 45,000 of which came from Tenerife. Nobody was held over the seizure.

The day before that, customs officials arrested two men in connection with a haul of 161,000 cigarettes recovered from two Tenerife flights into Teesside Airport. The pair were released on bail.

News of the operations confirms the North-East as one of the country's most thriving markets for the lucrative trade.

The Tobacco Alliance has already told of its fears for the region's independent shopkeepers, who are said to be losing up to £1,000 a week because of trafficking.

International criminal gangs account for up to 80 per cent of cigarettes illegally brought into the country and industry investigators have serious health concerns about the products.

But trade publication Independent Retail News has released new information which shows that a Customs and Excise publicity campaign against the lucrative illegal trade is making progress.

The North-East is no longer the worst-affected region in terms of loss of turnover for tobacconists, having been replaced by London and the Midlands.

Last night, Mike Connolly, head of detection for Customs in the region, praised his teams' successes and warned smugglers: "We know who you are.

"These are not holidaymakers returning with more than their allowance. These are organised criminal gangs who are targeting provincial airports.

"My message to those who try to beat the system is - just because you do not see a uniformed officer every time you pass through the controls does not mean we are not watching you."

A further 75,000 cigarettes were recovered at Humberside Airport on Friday night, but nobody was arrested.

The latest seizures are thought to have come from months of intelligence gathering on known smugglers, who believe they have a greater chance of bypassing security at smaller airports.

A Customs spokesman said: "They are broken down into thousands and dealers will hold a supply they can sell in pubs and clubs, and often from their back doorstep.

"These are people who travel out, often to the Canary Islands or mainland Spain, and never stay for more than a day or two before they switch tickets and return through provincial airports."

About 50 seats booked on a flight to return to Humberside on Friday night were not taken up and officials believe smugglers may have switched their attentions from there to Teesside.