A woman who tried to smuggle 180,000 cigarettes into the country has been jailed after she failed to heed a warning after she was originally caught.

Funmilayo Fagbemi was arrested after customs officials found 90,000 cigarettes hidden inside suits cases when she landed at Teesside Airport.

The 46-year-old was travelling from Lagos via Amsterdam when her smuggling scam came crashing down on September 25 this year.

Teesside Crown Court heard how she had been stopped by customs officials at Newcastle Airport in January this year when she was again trying to bring 90,000 cigarettes into the country without paying the relevant taxes.

Anthony Pettengell, prosecuting, said Fagbemi was given advice and a written warning in January about her behaviour but she was back to her old tricks several months later.

He said: “She had two suitcases filled with cigarettes with her and when she was spoken to be police she said - ‘It is what it is’.”

Mr Pettengell told the court that the total duty that the defendant had tried to avoid came to £83,451.50 after the 180,000 cigarettes were seized.

He said Fagbemi had also been stopped at Heathrow Airport in 2019 when she was trying to smuggle 42,000 cigarettes into the country.

The judge heard how the defendant also had a previous conviction for importing drugs.

Fagbemi, of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty to two charges of trying to evade paying tax.

Amrit Jandoo, mitigating, said his client had become involved in offending when she was struggling with her personal debt.

He added: “It was quite brazen, what she was doing.”

Recorder Anthony Kelbrick told the defendant she had clearly not learned from her two earlier warning as he locked her up.

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He said: “You were caught with three suitcases coming into this country and they contained 90,000 cigarettes. You were not arrested on that occasion and a warning letter was issued to you.

“In September, the same thing happened and again 90,000 cigarettes were brought into this country by you. You also have a previous conviction for importing drugs.

“The behaviour for which you have been convicted and sentenced is similar to what you did in 2019 for which you were not prosecuted.”

Fagbemi was sentenced to two years and three months in prison for both offences and the judge ordered that the cigarettes be destroyed.