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Saltney man jailed for international cigarette scam

A TRUCKER who built up ‘a substantial retail business’ selling contraband cigarettes and tobacco has been jailed.

When police searched Geoffrey Jones’s house in Saltney they found more than £180,000 in cash, Chester Crown Court heard.

There was £29,000 in a rucksack under the bed and bags stuffed with cash were found in the loft of the house he shared with his wife – school dinner lady Donna Marie Jones – and their four children.

There was evidence he had been selling imported cigarettes – some of which were counterfeit – for more than two years.

Jones, 42, of Toft Close, was jailed for 18 months after he admitted six charges of selling counterfeit cigarettes, evading duty, fraud, possessing criminal property and money laundering.

Mrs Jones, 43, admitted one charge of money laundering involving £5,300 and must carry out 200 hours of unpaid work.

An investigation will now take place and a hearing under the Proceeds of Crime Act will be held later this year to see how much can be seized from the couple.

The court heard Jones ran his own company, A2Z Driving Ltd.

He met other drivers, including those from the continent, and started buying cigarettes and selling them to customers.

Judge Roger Dutton said Jones had developed ‘a substantial retail business selling contraband cigarettes and tobacco’ over a number of years. He told Mrs Jones: “You have been led astray by your husband.”

On August 16, Jones was found by a police officer loading the van in Northwich.

Police found 51 packages of tobacco and 50 containers each containing 200 cigarettes.

Jones said he had bought them in a car boot sale, but was arrested and had £790 in cash on him and £2,700 in the van.

At 3am the following day police searched his home and found an envelope in a washing basket containing £5,670, which Mrs Jones said was her holiday money.

In total, more than £183,000 was seized.

Jones said he bought the cigarettes and tobacco at services on the M6 and claimed they were for personal use.

He claimed the cash was legitimate and said he earned £800 a day on his fruit and veg stall.

Investigations showed profits from his haulage company had fallen from £28,000 in 2006 to £13,000 in 2009.

Gillian Batts, defending, said there was no evidence his stall was a front for the cigarette business.

Ian Whiteley, defending Mrs Jones, said she was unaware of the extent of the criminal enterprise.

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