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Alicante Cheap Ciggies Smuggled to Scotland |
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Bootlegging gangs are cashing in on bargain flights to top up their stocks of cheap cigarettes - and their suntans.
And the gangs are targeting resorts in Spain to lessen their chances of being caught.
Previously, smuggling bosses would use 'mules' or trucks to bring back supplies from Malaga and Alicante on the mainland and Palma on Majorca.
But bargain flights from no-frills airlines are proving too tempting for them.
Globespan have been offering daily flights from as little as £20 from Glasgow and Edinburgh.
Smuggling bosses are flying off on Monday with a five-day ticket to Spain, complete with an almost empty suitcase.
They then fly back with thousands of cigarettes in time for the weekend. Much of the tobacco finds its way to the Barras market in Glasgow.
There is no maximum limit to tobacco brought back to the UK from any country which is a member of the European Union as long as it's for personal use.
Customs believe 3200 cigs is a realistic figure for a smoker for a six-month period but many smugglers bring back three times that amount each trip.
If caught, they would simply have the goods confiscated and be cautioned or face a small fine.
The cigarettes are bought for around 80p for a packet of 20 and sold for at least £3 a packet.
That means around £1000 profit for each weekly trip.
Customs and Excise in Scotland said: 'We look to identify people bringing in cigarettes through regular trips on cheap holiday flights and target flights from 'risky countries'. |
