A MAN from Little Hulton has been jailed as part of a government operation against a £16m illegal cigarette network.

John Swanick, aged 63, from Weaste Avenue, was given a two-and-a-half year sentence at Manchester Crown Court yesterday for the evasion of more than £319,000 in taxes.

He was the final person in a network of nine men across the North West who received a combined 22-year sentence for their part in the distribution of more than 44 million illegal cigarettes and 38 tonnes of hand rolling tobacco.

Officers from HM Revenue and Customs were able to bust the group after finding a small silver notebook in the home of ringleader Iqbal Haji following raids in September 2014.

Mr Haji was jailed for six years in 2016, while eight of his customers have now been handed immediate and suspended sentences totalling more than 15 years, with orders to repay more than £731,000.

Sandra Smith, assistant director, Fraud Investigation Service, HMRC, said: “Iqbal Haji is a greedy, arrogant criminal who hid behind a veil of respectability while orchestrating an organised, sustained and despicable attack on the public purse.

“His notebooks were like gold dust. They provided a detailed record of how this criminal conspiracy peddled cut-price, illegal cigarettes at the expense of legitimate traders and the UK taxpayer.

“We are determined to create a level playing field for local businesses, by disrupting the trade in illegal cigarettes. Criminal networks like this steal money that should be spent on our schools and hospitals."

Mr Haji, from Blackburn, claimed he was earning £500 a month by working at a local Post Office but, despite the modest income, he drove expensive BMWs, wore designer clothes and went on trips abroad.

Financial investigators found he spent more than £100,000 renovating the family home including having roller shutters fitted to the garage of the terraced property where he stored and sold his cigarettes.

But he had no idea that investigators from HMRC were watching his house, before moving in to arrest him in September 2014.

He had his foot on one of the books when he was arrested and tried to kick it under the sofa as he was led away.

Investigators found that Mr Haji's customers would arrive at his house (usually within 48 hours of a new delivery) and reverse up an alleyway to load-up directly from his garage.

The middlemen bought Pect and President branded cigarettes and Golden Virginia and Amber Leaf hand rolling tobacco that was not intended for UK sale.

Investigators believe the cigarettes were sold on via a network of distributors on housing estates, in pubs and at car boot sales.

If the men do not pay the ordered fines they are likely to face extended jail sentences and will still owe the money when released.

Anyone with information about the trade in smuggled or counterfeit tobacco can report it to HMRC online or contact the fraud hotline on 0800 788 887.