Nine arrested after raid on illegal Leicester tobacco factory

HMRC said kitting out the factory would have cost about £1m

Nine men have been arrested after police uncovered one of the UK's biggest ever illegal tobacco factories in Leicester.

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) said they were assisted by Polish police during the raid on the "state-of-the-art factory" last month.

More than 8.5 tonnes of tobacco was removed, and nine loaded lorries were needed to haul away machinery.

The site has now been dismantled and the suspects taken into custody.

The raid was a "significant blow" to organised crime, officials said

The men were arrested on suspicion of fraudulent evasion of duty.

A spokesman for HMRC told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that because the investigation was ongoing they could not say where in the city the factory was found or why the Polish authorities were involved.

They said the "sophisticated set up" was capable of producing more than seven million cigarettes a week and included professional extraction systems, insulation to hide noise and sleeping space for staff, with an estimated outlay of £1m for the work.

Richard Las, Head of Operations, Fraud Investigation Service, HMRC, said: "This was one of the most sophisticated tobacco factories we have ever uncovered, and our work with our international partners to dismantle it will be a significant blow to the organised criminals we believe are behind it.

"The illicit tobacco trade steals money from our vital public services, undercuts legitimate businesses and can fund other crimes that impact our communities, such as guns, drugs and human trafficking.

"These criminals don't care who they sell to, including children."

HMRC said the tobacco would have brought in more than £130m a year had it been legally registered.