A GANG of cigarette smugglers has been jailed for more than 11 years after sneaking ten million illicit cigarettes into the UK.

The gang members, who appeared at Newcastle Crown Court yesterday, evaded almost £2m in taxes through the illegal network.

Prosecutor, Alex Offer, told the court investigators from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) repeatedly caught the gang red-handed as they delivered and unloaded millions of duty-free cigarettes at locations across the North-East.

But, speaking after the hearing, Peter Hollier, HMRC’s Assistant Director for Criminal Investigation in the region, said: “No matter how many times we caught the gang with smuggled cigarettes, they still continued in their attempts to smuggle even more.”

Alan Conway, 55, and from Snowdon Street, Eston, Middlesbrough, was sentenced to two years imprisonment, while Gary McPhail, 47, from Broom Close, Stanley, County Durham, was sentenced to 12 months.

Thomas Griffiths, 50, from Durham Street, Spennymoor, was sentenced to 12 months, while Kevin Railton, 31, from Garsefield Gardens, Burnopfield, was sentenced to two years and eight months imprisonment.

Paul Mallaby, 47, from Denton View, Winlaton, Newcastle, was sentenced to two years and eight months.

Kevin Howard, 43, from Bessimer Street, Ferryhill, was sentenced to nine months imprisonment suspended for 12 months, 100 hours community punishment, a 12-month supervision order and he was ordered to pay £600 in costs.

Michael Nash, 43, from Lewis Close, St Annes was sentenced to 16 months imprisonment, while William Gray, 59 from Aldwick Road, Newcastle, is due to be sentenced at a later date.

McPhail and Griffiths were found guilty by a jury, while the other defendants pleaded guilty.

The court heard that three members of the gang were initially caught in May 2008 after HMRC intercepted a shipment of almost £6m of illicit cigarettes at the premises of Taylor’s Transport Services in Billingham, Teesside; a haul estimated to be worth more than £1m in lost excise duty.

Despite being caught by HMRC, the gang continued in their attempts to run their criminal operation, arranging other large importations of cigarettes, delivered to the same address and others across the region.

A HMRC spokesman said: “In an attempt to conceal their crime the gang smuggled large quantities of illegal cigarettes into the North-East using paperwork that described their cargo as ‘clothing materials’.

“On one occasion the driver of a van containing tens of thousands of duty free cigarettes tried to persuade HMRC officers that his cargo was a van-load of dog food.”

HMRC officers made six large seizures from the smuggling gang between May and September 2008, intercepting more than ten million illegal cigarettes.

Judge Brian Forster said HMRC had revealed an extensive smuggling organisation, extending from the North-East, across the country.

He told the defendants that their sentences “must not only punish you, but deter others”.