Leicester Tobacco Smuggling Scheme Uncovered, Multi Million Pound Haul

A gang used a Leicester storage unit for a big tobacco scam. They smuggled and sold illegal tobacco across the UK. This happened over three years, starting in March 2018. The scam involved 5.8 tonnes of tobacco.

Yuanjian Zhou, Bryan Kim, and Faruque Hussein led the group. Zhou’s wife, Ruifang Zhang, also participated. They brought raw tobacco into the UK illegally, then made it into rolling tobacco and sold it in fake packaging.

Zhang hid the money and paid for a house. HMRC officers searched places in Luton, Leicester, and Nottingham, finding the hidden tobacco worth about £1.5 million.

Officers found 2000kg of tobacco in Zhou’s Leicester storage unit on Marston Road in Troon. The gang denied involvement, but a court convicted them.

Zhou, Kim, and Hussein cheated the public revenue. Zhang laundered money and committed mortgage fraud worth £270,000.

Zhou got seven years and seven months in jail. Kim and Hussein each got three years and four months. Zhang received two years and five months. The court issued these sentences on Wednesday, February 26.