Record cig haul

Between April 2000 and March this year, more than 45 million cigarettes were confiscated by customs officials compared to 17 million the year before.

Huge amounts of rolling tobacco have also been seized in the area, including one massive single shipment of 22 tonnes of fake tobacco from China.

As well as the illegal goods, 140 vehicles used for transporting the smuggled cigarettes and tobacco were confiscated in the last year with more than 100 not returned to their owners, thanks to new national policy.

Since July 1 last year, customs policy has been that any vehicle used for smuggling will not be returned to its owner whether it is confiscated at a port or stopped from moving goods around inland.

Despite having doubled the amount of cigarettes seized and therefore stopped some of the supply to the illegal trade, customs officers know there is still a problem.

Rob Hastings-Trew, customs spokesman for the region said: "These figures do not take into account those cigarettes discovered in other areas of the country which were en route to the North-East.

"The region continues to be targeted by the criminal gangs who are responsible for eight out of ten smuggled cigarettes and although we are naturally delighted with these record seizures we are by no means complacent."

The record seizures have been welcomed by the legitimate tobacco industry which is present in Darlington with more than 20 billion cigarettes produced at the Rothmans factory every year.

Gareth Davis of Imperial Tobacco said that although the battle against smugglers had not been won 'a significant achievement' had been made.

Customs officials want to build on their success with the continued help of local people.

Mr Hastings-Trew said: "The people of the North-East have clearly demonstrated their support. Customs receive more calls to our confidential hot-line from the North-East than from any other region of the country."

Updated: 15.01 Monday, June 25