​TWO men have been jailed for attempting to smuggle 2.5 million cigarettes into the UK

through Dover without paying £411,475 in excise duty.

Thierry Desmet ,51, a café owner from Brussels, and Gergios Stellas ,35, a fish merchant from Rhodes, were sentenced to two years and 20 months respectively at Maidstone Crown Court on Friday.

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) officers began their investigation on August 29, after Stellas and Desmet were stopped when they arrived at Dover Eastern Docks on a ferry from Calais. UK Border Agency (UKBA) officers discovered the haul when they searched their lorry and found the cigarettes hidden in garden ornaments and pots. Desmet and Stellas were arrested and HMRC officers began the investigation.

Heidi Foggon, Assistant Director HMRC Criminal Investigations said: “Cigarette smugglers cheat the country of vital revenue to fund vital public services like hospitals and schools. Smuggling also has a devastating impact on honest retailers. Working with our colleagues in the UK Border Agency, we will not hesitate to take action against those smuggling cigarettes into the country.”