A calamitously clumsy west London smuggler who attempted to flood the UK with illegal tobacco and alcohol - evading nearly £1million in excise duty in the process - was caught red-handed after dropping his illegal stash right in front of investigators.
The 45-year-old and his accomplice were arrested after dropping stacks of illicit cigarettes beneath the nose of HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) officers.
Krzysztof Kochna, 45, of Wood End Lane, Northolt , was arrested as he helped unload cigarettes and alcohol into a storage unit in Tottenham.
The haul was hidden in metal cages and a pallet full of cigarettes came crashing down from a forklift truck as it was being unloaded from an HGV, exposing its contents to watching HMRC investigators who then swooped to arrest him.
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Kochna was jailed on Friday (June 15) for three years and nine months.
Brett Wilkinson, assistant director of the Fraud Investigation Service at the HMRC, said: “Kochna must have hoped the hidden tobacco and alcohol would go unnoticed, but our investigators caught him red-handed.
“He is now paying the price with a jail term.
“HMRC continues to tackle illicit tobacco and alcohol that harms honest businesses and takes money from public services.”
Kochna denied fraudulently evading tax on alcohol and cigarettes, and money laundering but was convicted at Wood Green Crown Court on June 8.
Fellow smuggler Wieslaw Ciosek, 47, of Pennine Drive, Cricklewood, admitted fraudulently evading tax on alcohol and money laundering.
Kochna was sentenced to three years and nine months and Ciosek was given a two-year prison term, suspended for two years. He was also ordered to do 300 hours of unpaid work and has been given a curfew.
Confiscation proceedings to recover assets from Kochna will now begin.
