Narita Bahra instructed in Multi-Million Pound Tax and Duty Evasion Fraud.

Narita Bahra represented the first defendant in an alleged Joint Enterprise to flood the UK with almost millions of illegal cigarettes and evasion of duty and VAT in excess of one million pounds.

The Crown alleged that Narita’s client played a leading role in the logistics and distribution of the UK arm of the criminal operation. It was alleged that the smuggled cigarettes emanated from Russia and Eastern Europe, travelling via Polish transportation.

Unusually the HMRC were able to assert that this was an exceptional case as they had arrested the main players in this International Crime Ring.

HMRC investigators uncovered the smuggling ring after working closely with UK Border Force and the Serious Organised Crime Agency (now the National Crime Agency).

Narita’s client was the only defendant alleged to have operated in a leading role who was acquitted post trial.

All remaining convicted defendants were remanded in custody and await sentence.