A Bedwas woman who was arrested at an M4 service station with almost £25,000 in her handbag, has been sentenced for tobacco smuggling.
Verna Dunphy, 62, of East Avenue, Bedwas, had arranged for Belgian van driver, Peter De Smet, to smuggle 250 kg of tobacco into the UK for her to sell on – and was meeting him to pay for the goods in cash, a court was told.
Speaking after the case John Cooper, assistant director, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) said: “The arrangement between De Smet and Dunphy was motivated by greed. De Smet admitted at interview that he stood to make £6,000 profit by selling the tobacco to Dunphy, but she probably would have made much more by peddling her illegal goods to unsuspecting customers, most likely in South Wales.
“Smuggled tobacco products undercut honest businesses; they encourage normally law-abiding people to fund criminality. Tobacco smuggling is a crime and we will continue to investigate those suspected of involvement in it.”
Dunphy, who also goes by the alias of Verna Peachey, was arrested just outside Chieveley Services on April 13 2010 after police officers became suspicious of De Smet’s van parked on a dirt track. She had £24,830 in her handbag.
When questioned, De Smet admitted that he was waiting for a female who would pay him for the tobacco. The officers were waiting for Dunphy when she arrived at the meeting point, and the case was referred to HMRC. Both were arrested and later charged with tobacco smuggling, and the tobacco and cash were seized.
Investigations by HMRC later revealed that Dunphy and De Smet had been involved in a joint smuggling operation for at least two years.
Dunphy had admitted tobacco smuggling and intent to defraud at a previous hearing, and was sentenced to 51 weeks jail suspended for two years and a curfew order at Reading Crown Court on March 16. De Smet had admitted tobacco smuggling, but denied intent to defraud and was found guilty of this charge following trial at Reading Crown Court in January. He was sentenced to two years imprisonment at the same court.