Around 11m smuggled cigarettes have been seized by customs officers in one of the biggest operations ever mounted in the North-East.
Customs and police officers confiscated the massive haul after carrying out two raids on vehicles on the A1 earlier this week.
Officers from the inland anti-smuggling team, based in Newcastle, seized 5.9m cigarettes from a lorry near Northallerton, North Yorkshire, on Wednesday. The vehicle was seized and the driver released following questioning.
And yesterday the same team of officers seized more than 5m Lazer brand cigarettes at Exelby, near Bedale. Customs officials believe the tobacco, which was not concealed but had been misdescribed on paperwork, was en route to Middlesbrough.
The seizure of the cigarettes - which had a retail value of £2.2m - confirmed the North-East as Britain's biggest market for smuggled tobacco.
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