Fat Suits Used to Smuggle Cigarettes into UK Airport

Three men smuggling cigarettes on a flight did not succeed in looking inconspicuous, after their specially adapted waistcoats were mistook by fellow passengers for "fat suits".
The tobacco smugglers hid thousands of illegal cigarettes within deep disguised pockets, but their peculiar appearance, with substantial objects bulging from beneath their jackets, led passengers and officers to become suspicious.
When searched at Leeds Bradford International Airport, UK border officials discovered 3,800 cigarettes stockpiled on their bodies. But that was only the tip of the iceberg - another 23,700 trafficked cigarettes were subsequently uncovered in their luggage.
Passengers voiced their concerns about the unusual appearance of the three men throughout the flight from Lithuania on Tuesday, May 28.
Border officials were also suspicious as two male passengers travelling from Vilnius, Lithuania were wearing ill-fitting and bulky jackets. These two were searched around 11PM, along with the third Lithuanian man who was flying with them.
Men Used 'Fat Suits' to Smuggle 3,800 Cigarettes
Border Force North's assistant director, Sam Bullimore, said, "This was an unusual concealment, and on the face of it quite convincing, but our expert officers are trained to expect the unexpected".
"Criminal gangs regularly use the money obtained from tobacco smuggling to supply serious systematized crime", he said adding that "by terminating these shipments, they could starve the profits of their criminal activity".
"Furthermore, tobacco smuggling dispossesses the economy of important revenue, in a climate when the country can afford it the least", he said.
He urged those tempted by cheap tobacco and cigarettes to reconsider, as it is not only honest traders who get a raw deal but also buyers, as there is no regulation to keep an eye on what they are actually getting. Meanwhile, higher up the supply chain, serious criminals are harvesting the rewards.
Officers discovered the 3,800 cigarettes disguised in adapted pouches on the back and front of two of the men's waistcoats. Altogether, the criminal trio were smuggling 27,500 cigarettes. These were seized and would be destroyed, according to a Border Force spokesman.

http://www.airport-int.com/news/fat-suits-used-to-smuggle-cigarettes-into-uk-airport.html