Two people have been handed down jail terms after smuggling Polish beer into the UK to avoid paying duty.
Radoslaw Dobron and Ilona Leszczynska smuggled 122 lorry loads of Polish beer into the United Kingdom in 2018 via London-based wholesaler Top Seller Ltd.
According to information released by HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) this week, the haul amounted to more than £3.1 million in evaded duty.
The pair took advantage of a commercial import scheme to smuggle the beer stash, which included brands Tyskie, Lech, Perla and Zubbr, into the UK.
Beers were then sold ‘off-the-book’ to retailers.
Officers from HMRC arrested Top Seller company director Dobron and office manager Leszczynska in Essex in February 2018 for laundering $4.2 million worth of profit through the scam.
Dobron pleaded guilty to cheating the public revenue, money laundering and VAT fraud in July 2022, and was jailed for three years and eight months.
His partner in crime Leszcynska was convicted of cheating the public revenue and VAT fraud following a four-week trial at Chelmsford Crown Court that finished in June 2023. She was jailed this week for three years and four months.
“Smuggling millions of cans of cheap beer gave them an unfair advantage over the law-abiding majority and deprived our vital public services of funds,” said Carmine di Franco, assistant director in HMRC’s Fraud Investigation Service.
“Disrupting the criminal trade is at the heart of our strategy to clamp down on the illicit alcohol market which costs the UK around £1 billion per year.”
di Franco urged anyone with information about people or businesses involved in the sale, storage or smuggling of illicit alcohol to contact HMRC.
The drinks business has previously reported how the Duty Free industry is collectively cracking down on illicit trade, with giants in the GTR field signing a ‘zero tolerance’ declaration earlier this month.
“There can be no room for doubt. We want to send a clear message worldwide – there is no place in our industry for companies that engage in illicit trade, which causes substantial societal harm, and costs our industry significant lost sales opportunities,” said Sarah Branquinho, president of the Duty Free World Council.
