FOUR men have been ordered to pay back more than £170k of their criminal profits after running a tobacco factory from two industrial units in Wythall.
James Anderson, 58, from Solihull, Phillip O’Brien, 54, from Stratford upon Avon and Nicholas Edmunds, 54, from Walsall, were running a tobacco counterfeiting plant from adjoining industrial units they rented in Wythall.
During a raid in January 2013, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) investigators seized more than 1.3 tonnes of raw leaf, shredded and hand rolling tobaccos, as well as equipment to shred, spray and package the counterfeit tobacco.
A fourth man, Bradley Bailey, 29, laundered the cash for the gang.
At a confiscation hearing at Birmingham Crown Court today (Friday), Anderson was ordered to pay back £150,000 or face 18 months in prison, O’Brien has to pay back £20,178.70 or face eight months in prison and Edmunds has to pay back £2,367.50 or face two months behind bars.
All three men have three months to pay or face prison.
Peter McDermott, Assistant Director, Fraud Investigation Services, HMRC, said:
“Crime really doesn’t pay, we are determined to recover stolen tax from criminals who think they can steal from the public purse and get away with it.
“This confiscation order shows that we don’t stop once someone has been jailed, but our actions continue until we have deprived criminals of their illegal profits.
“This recovered cash will be directed to where it should have been – toward funding vital public services.
Anyone with information about the illegal sale of tobacco or alcohol should contact the Fraud Hotline on 0800 788 887.
