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Posted on the 24th July 2025 in PHTM News
ARBROATH CABBIE BUSTED WITH NEARLY A MILLION ILLEGAL CIGARETTES
An Arbroath taxi driver, Andrejs Nikitins, has been caught with a massive haul of illegal cigarettes and tobacco, valued at over £400,000 in unpaid duty and VAT.
Nikitins' criminal operation was uncovered during a major investigation by HMRC known as “Operation Asleep,” which targets duty-dodging schemes.
On May 12, 2022, HMRC officers monitored Nikitins as he accessed a storage unit at Keepsafe Storage in Dundee. Acting under a writ of assistance, they found large cardboard boxes filled with various brands of cigarettes and tobacco.
A subsequent full warrant led to the seizure of 890,640 cigarettes and 30.5kg of hand-rolling tobacco. The total amount of duty and VAT owed to the state on these items was calculated at £404,488.62.
Nikitins, 50, pleaded guilty to knowingly concealing goods with the intent to defraud HMRC.
His solicitor, Doug McConnell, stated that Nikitins, a taxi driver, was "trying to make a bit more money after Covid" and was only set to earn around £4,500 from the illicit enterprise.
However, Sheriff Jillian Martin-Brown warned Nikitins that "a custodial sentence is a possibility" given the extreme value of the seized goods.
Sentencing has been deferred until August.
Joe Hendry, Assistant Director at HMRC’s fraud investigation service, commented on the broader implications of such crimes, stating: "Cheap cigarettes come at a cost, as they often fund organised crime and other illegal activity that causes real harm to our communities."
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