A Middlesbrough man jailed in October 2013 for evading £399,385 excise duty on cigarettes and alcohol has been ordered at to pay £216,500 within six months or serve a further 30 months in jail.
Joseph Paul Honeyman, from Croft Avenue, Middlesbrough was convicted after an investigation by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) into the seizure of 984,500 cigarettes, 710 kilograms of hand rolling tobacco and 499 litres of vodka; on which £309,698 excise duty and VAT hadn’t been paid.
He was sentenced to 14 months in prison on 7 October 2013, and the payment order was imposed by Teesside Crown Court in Middlesbrough on April 10, 2014.
Diane Donnelly, assistant director, criminal investigation, HMRC, said: “Honeyman was out to line his own pockets and went to jail for his crimes, but our action does not stop there. We will continue to look for any profit he has had from his illegal smuggling activity and take action recover it.
“Anyone with information about tobacco smuggling should call the Customs’ Hotline on 0800 59 5000.”
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