RAF Movers Jailed:

[Tiger_mate]

Three RAF servicemen who were part of a gang which smuggled an estimated seven million cigarettes into Britain on military flights from the Middle East have been jailed.

Hauls of cigarettes were flown into RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire and RAF Lyneham in Wiltshire in 2008 and 2009 in a "well thought out and professionally planned" operation.

They were then transported to the North East of England and sold on without paying import duty or VAT.

Corporal Stuart Helens, 31, Sergeant Stuart Walker, 43, and Senior Aircraftman Paul Garbutt, 31, all admitted their part in the conspiracy. Civilians Lisa Harrison, 36, Alison McCabe, 45, and Christopher Garbutt, 26 - Paul Garbutt's brother - also owned up to being part of the scam between late 2008 and May 2009.

The three servicemen pocketed up to £30,000 each before the swindle was rumbled, Bristol Crown Court heard.

Analysis of mobile phones, computers and other documents by HM Revenue and Customs investigators found that at least 1.14 million cigarettes were smuggled on flights from Muscat, Oman - evading around £204,000 in duty and VAT. Another six million cigarettes were smuggled in on flights from Kabul, Afghanistan, evading almost £1.1 million in duty and VAT.

Helens, of King Edward Close, Calne, Wiltshire, pleaded guilty to two charges of conspiracy to cheat the public revenue. Paul Garbutt, of Avon Grove, Billingham, Teesside, admitted two charges of conspiracy to cheat the public revenue and one charge of acquisition of criminal property.

Walker, of Loggon Road, Basingstoke, Hampshire, pleaded guilty to a charge conspiracy to cheat the public revenue. Christopher Garbutt, of Knapton Avenue, Billingham, pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to cheat the public revenue and converting criminal property.

Harrison, of Sydney Road, Middlesbrough, and McCabe, of Fielding Court, Billingham, each admitted a charge of being concerned in the acquisition of criminal property. Paul Garbutt's wife Louisa, 36, was acquitted by a jury of conspiracy to cheat the public revenue and acquisition of criminal property following a trial at Bristol Crown Court.

The seventh member of the gang, Cpl Thomas Warren, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to cheat the public revenue and will be sentenced at a later date.

How long for????

[4mastacker]

How long for????

Probably not long enough!!

Bunch of greedy idiots who thought they were being clever - wonder if those from smoggyland are related to those involved in the demise a certain monkey.

[November4]

Good!

These prats being the main ones but heard that some other units were investigated including a unit at the former RAF Cr***ill. Just couldn't be proved enough for a realistic chance of prosecution.

[Nomorefreetime]

No investigation at any former RAF unit. The jailed guys used the guise that the kit was for said unit and could be collected from airheads.

[November4]

Thanks for the info Nomorefreetime (appropriate as they will be having more freetime now)

Judge Michael Longman sentenced Helens to a three-year prison term, Paul Garbutt to three years and four months, and Walker to two years.

Christopher Garbutt was given nine months suspended for two years, and 150 hours' unpaid work.

McCabe was sentenced to six months suspended for 18 months, and Harrison 12 months suspended for two yearsand 150 hours' unpaid work.

The seventh member of the gang, Cpl Thomas Warren, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to cheat the public revenue and will be sentenced later.

[SVK]

Good! I have absolutely no sympathy for them.

[Canadian WokkaDoctor]

So, I wonder how many u/s parts and components got bumped off return flights so that these idiots could smuggle cigarettes. The reverse supply chain for R&O components was bad enough already, without this sort of c**p!


Canadian WokkaDoctor

[homer33]

Gents

I'am a mover and have been for 20 years. I know the individuals concerned and although not pally with all of them, one in particular was a good friend. Yes they have done wrong and are now paying the price. They have tarnished the Service and the trade and severely damaged the good reputation that has been built over the years by all individuals from LAC -Senior officer.
Please do not turn this thread into a trade bashing! Remember this is a public forum and were all on the same side and rely on each other to achieve our goals.
Remember " Per Ardua ad Astra'".

[gwalltcoch]

i totaly agree with all, about how these so called airman have been deallt with, however, there are surely more drivers and such have got away with a a lot more, but then i am surell pprune will cast scorn on there own ,i doubt it!!,

[SRENNAPS]

Well it just proves what a bunch of gypsy thieving feckers the Movements people of the Royal Air Force really are.

You should all be ashamed.

What a sad comment that is and if you really are in the Royal Air Force you should be ashamed for blaming an entire group of people for the wrong doings of a very small minority.

[Pontius Navigator]

however, there are surely more drivers and such have got away with a a lot more, but then i am surell pprune will cast scorn on there own ,i doubt it!!,

Nothing like an open mind ready to enter a sensible debate.

[November4]

Hooray a proper mover bashing thread. Well it just proves what a bunch of gypsy thieving feckers the Movements people of the Royal Air Force really are.

You should all be ashamed.

Yes RA the trade is ashamed of and embarrassed by these idiots especially after all the good work that had been done by the whole trade. That has all been undone now. However there are 865 or so in the trade and these were 4 of them. There is no excuse for what they did. None at all.

Similar to your sweeping generalisation that all gypsies are "thieving feckers" but gypsies are classed as a racial group......

Good to see the diversity training is working.

[Willard Whyte]

Oh boy, several sense of humour failures detected.

I hate this place sometimes.

[TOPBUNKER]

"HMRC’s enquiries began at the request of the RAF’s Special Investigations Branch after RAF Police stopped a van containing 10,000 L&M Brand cigarettes at RAF Lyneham on 30 April 2009. The van was driven by Corporal Stuart Helens. In the early hours of that morning HMRC officers discovered a further nine boxes each containing 10,000 cigarettes. It is believed that the cigarettes were destined for sale in the North East of England"

Taken from the official press notice...
Here. (http://nds.coi.gov.uk/content/detail.aspx?NewsAreaId=2&ReleaseID=417822&SubjectId=16&AdvancedSearch=true)

Note that it states... "Contrary to some initial media speculation there is nothing to suggest that repatriation flights were used to smuggle these cigarettes." Let's hope that is true.

[Scuttled]

Am I the only one who doesn't really care?

They tried it on, got caught and will do time. It's taken up a few redundancy slots anyway.

I'm sure far worse things than smuggling a few cigarettes have happened in the past and/or are happening now. I'd be more worried if arms were making it through....... it's only cigarettes.

[alisoncc]

Whilst not condoning the actions of these people, lets not kid ourselves that it's something new. As a kid I remember my father and friends talking about all the stuff they "repatriated" from Germany and Europe after WWII. I also remember lowering a pannier from the bomb bay of a Vulcan at Finningley Christmas '64 that was chocker with fresh salmon. The aircraft having just returned from Goose Bay/Gander. Said pannier being hauled off to the officers mess for distribution.

There was a scam running in the sixties whereby if you were based in Germany you could buy a Mercedes duty free, drive it back to the UK, register it, then sell it to a relative - brother/uncle whatever, and then go back and get another one.

Pentax's and Nikon's were a fraction of the UK price at the NAAFI in Bahrain. Hop on a plane to Lyneham on leave, with three or four cameras in your baggage. Still in their boxes you could easily sell them and make enough profit to pay for your leave entertainments.

[howiehowie93]

The Tax Free car scam was still going on in the 90's until peeps started getting greedy; Hubby, Wife & siblings (as long as they had a BFG Driving Licence) were all entitled to a new car every six months. Peeps were booking top of the range MBs & BMWs for a whole three year tour ahead. After the required number of days of ownership, they then drove them to London's top dealers and getting a free flight back to BFG from London city where their next car was awaiting them at MG Airport.

Then they were discovered and everyone then suffered - only the Serving bloke could have one and then on an annual basis.

Oh the joys of being an OR:ok:

regards
H

[NutLoose]

Should of locked them all in cells until they had smoked them all :E

[oldbaldeagle]

There is a world of difference in bringing in a load of salmon, which as far as I know has never been subject to customs duty, or even in gaming the system in respect of the lawful import of new cars, and the outright smuggling of vast amounts of contraband.

[racedo]

Thye tarnish everybody in their actions as everybody gets tarred with the same brush.

[Runaway Gun]

Tarnish who exactly? Movers, RAF, NCO's, British, Pikeys, Smokers... :ok:

[Biggus]

Runaway,

"everybody" obviously - he even said it twice! :O

[EOSM37]

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2011/02/05/article-1353904-0D0B9F76000005DC-642_468x200.jpg

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2011/02/05/article-1353904-0D0B9F76000005DC-24_468x194.jpg

The guilty party. Disgraceful.

[Jumping_Jack]

There are some serious hypocrites on this forum. Yes the Movers got caught and were rightly jailed, however duing my time at Brize and Lyneham a saw a huge amount of stuff brought into the country by aircrew pretty much all of which was hidden from Customs to avoid paying duty. It may have been on a smaller scale individually but it was still breaking the law. I am not squeaky clean in this respect either but you would think some on this site were angels.....they aren't, they just weren't caught. Nuff said.

[Tankertrashnav]

I also remember lowering a pannier from the bomb bay of a Vulcan at Finningley Christmas '64 that was chocker with fresh salmon. The aircraft having just returned from Goose Bay/Gander. Said pannier being hauled off to the officers mess for distribution.


We always used to bring salmon back from Goose in Annie's hatch at the rear of the Victor. As oldbaldeagle pointed out theres no duty payable on salmon, which was bought and paid for at the Hudson Bay Trading Post (a bit like LIDL's but not so up market!). Also remember bringing lobsters back from Stornaway in a Hastings for a ball at Lindholme and the buggers escaped and were wandering all around the rear of the a/c!

[Scuttled]

I think 7,000,000 cigarettes for commercial gain is a bit different to an extra bottle of gin here or there - which happens at every major airport in the UK every minute of the working day.

Having said that, I still don't think we need to consider disbanding what is left of the air force for this little crime.

[Sandy Parts]

Looking at the pics in post 26, top right hand image, have they finally caught up with one half of Robson and Jerome (wearing a dodgy wig)?

[MSF]

I remember, late 80's returning from Deci by 10, sitting next a 10 Sqn crew in the customs hall and having a bit of a chat, then being pulled aside by a customs bod to be told that they were being investigated for drug running.
Yeah , pilots - dodgy or wot!

Cannot complain that they were banged up for fag smuggling, though.
Still, our worst is better than your best!

[SaddamsLoveChild]

If these werent the guys who had an extra box of 'effects' on the back of the C17 on a repat flight, what happened to them?

[BEagle]

....however duing my time at Brize and Lyneham a saw a huge amount of stuff brought into the country by aircrew pretty much all of which was hidden from Customs to avoid paying duty.

I certainly don't recall any such thing on 101 - all the various Webers, beer and anything else was always declared. The Customs Declaration form for 'enthusiastic shoppers' was always checked rather carefully by the cabin supervisor.

However, our boss had a simple solution - anyone who tried smuggling would be off the overseas trips list for the rest of his tour, except to $hitholes such as MPA. Customs were very fair at Brize, if you declared what you'd bought, they would charge you the minimum possible. An incentive for honesty.

I always used to teach that, if ever the lower hold light came on after the engineer had checked that it was shut and you were somewhere where there was an RAF handling team (Dulles?), shut down and find out why - screw any slot time. Similarly, never allow anyone to unload back at Brize until you'd given the OK. That was to stop 'someone' putting contraband on the jet, then tipping off his accomplice to unload it before the jet was cleared.

It did amuse me when a chap from Kidlington came to do a check ride at the Brize Flying Club; in NATO pullover and 4 gold rings he looked like a senior customs bloke. The Flying Club was next to the cargo hangar - and his appearance caused one or two people a lot of consternation.....

[November4]

If these werent the guys who had an extra box of 'effects' on the back of the C17 on a repat flight, what happened to them?

That I always thought was journalistic licence after they had been watching "American Gangster" or "The Presidio"

[herkman]

I presume that these people will form part of the list for no longer required.

Col

Its people like this who make it hard for those bringing in their entitlement.

[Mr C Hinecap]

I certainly don't recall any such thing on 101

Polish your halo there fella - it happened on the other 2 sqns.

[Nomorefreetime]

Its people like this who make it hard for those bringing in their entitlement.

If you are within your entitlement, how is it going to hard ? No Laws broken !

[4fitter]

I have an honours degree in hindsight. I recall aircrew being jailed for kiddie porno, nurses being jailed for similar, engineers for drunk driving and scribblies for death by dangerous driving. Bad movers - caught - move on please.

[dionysius]

I personally think its a bit ott printing their pictures....they got caught andhavebeeen punished..end of story:oh:

[ArthurR]

Whilst I think these 3 got what they deserved, I still cannot understand the system in UK courts these days, when on the same day, in a different court you read this:
The court heard that Ross Thomas and Leonard Bennett, 76, befriended the boy at a gun club and lured him into meeting them on a nearby beach in Gosport, Hants.They would take the boy into public toilets and sexually abuse him. Both were sentenced to 12 months in jail suspended for two years and put on the sex offenders register for ten years at Portsmouth Crown Court.

Yes the act was committed many years ago, but thats only one that has come to light, pedophiles normally repeat their crime. It seems that crimes against the Government, are far more serious than those against the public, no matter what they are.

[VinRouge]

Rule no.1: Never, EVER p*ss off HMRC. I believe its one of the only areas of law where innocence has to be proved, and not presumed! :hmm:

[c130jbloke]

I certainly don't recall any such thing on 101

Oh Please ! Get over yourself Beagle :=

Certainly happened at the other AT base - though never to the industrial levels described here.

IIRC, a couple of BZN PTI / PJIs were done for the import of some class A in the late 1980's ?

[Tankertrashnav]

It seems that crimes against the Government, are far more serious than those against the public, no matter what they are.


First of all Arthur, I totally agree with your point that paedophile crime, like all sex crime, is very serious, and deserves far more severe punishment than appears to be the case here.

However you seem to be implying that there is such a thing as crime against the government. This indicates a mind-set that seems to think that crimes involving smuggling, tax and revenue fraud etc are crimes that only affect "them" not "us". You should remember that there is no such thing as government money, only public money (ie yours and mine) and crimes like this one under discussion are stealing from us. As far as I'm concerned they are just as guilty as they would have been if they had broken into my house and stole my stuff.

Bang 'em up, I say

[ArthurR]

Tankertrashnav, The crime they committed was a victimless crime, had they paid the duty on those cigs, it would not have affected your tax in any way, you would still pay the same, though maybe a few on benefits and the like, would be able to claim more, and yes I think they got what they deserved.

[PTC REMF]

They have tarnished the Service and the trade and severely damaged the good reputation that has been built over the years by all individuals from LAC -Senior officer.


Across all three services RAF Movers have the worst reputation of any RAF branch or trade.

[barnstormer1968]

I have just read through this thread, and something that strikes me is that many of the posters must be armchair or light blue types.

I see very little connection in waffling on about what anyone did AFTER the war (no war on), Or GERMANY (no war on), or from the USA (no war on). Even tales of perfectly LEGAL car buying (no war on) are not connected with this.

Coming from a green background, I fully realise that when things hot up, and you need supplies quickly, even things like drinking water can become luxurious seconds to essentials like ammunition (you can live for a lot longer in a contact without water than you can bullets!). We are all part of one team, and the fact that some crooks were using an overstretched supply system for their own ends may well bring distrust and possibly outright dislike of movers or the RAF as a whole to some folks (plenty of closed minds appearing on this thread already).

Yes some posters may not care at all and this may not be the crime of the century, but imagine being a bloke on the ground watching his mate be blown to peices in front of him............Only to suspect that movers are using the death of his long time friend to line their own pockets (during the repatriation)!

If the cigarettes replaced toilet rolls from a base closing in Germany then although the crime would still be the same one, I suspect it would not be in the same league morally, but that is just IMHO of course.

In the last decade or so the RAF has become much more closely (literally) involved in operations, and the bond between them and green forces has become closer.

It is always was a shame when the greed of a very few individuals can have such a dramatic effect to reverse long term gains.

Just a few thoughts

[BEagle]

Perhaps we just had higher standards on the RAF's premier AAR squadron? :cool:

I recall sitting on the OM terrace at Akrotiri, listening to some C-130 navigator bragging about how he had been on some exercise which involved flying from Scotland to Holland and back for several days. On each occasion he'd brought 2 of those huge 1.75 litre jugs of vodka back to Scotland with him.

Now, for his own use (to stock his bar for the year) is quite legal - although he might have to prove that. But he went on to tell his audience that he 'got a good price' for them....

Had someone tipped off HMRC at Lyneham that a self-admitted smuggler was on his way home, it would have caused annoyance and disruption for other, more honest crews - as no doubt an investigation would have required a number of incoming flights to be rummaged...

He was a bit of an odd character, large and loud mouthed with a weird obsession about hypnotism. Perhaps some of you might know him...??

[saudih]

I recall being told (what is probably just a story) about a shackelton crew returning from Cyprus with the elsan having been cleaned up to be filled with brandy for a bash in the OM. Customs Officer, inspecting said aircraft on landing and having being assured there was nothing that needed to be declared..... took the opportunity to relieve himself in the elsan and then left the crew to it.....:{

[TheWizard]

I definitely don't ever remember bringing back a standard NATO pallet of Becks from Germany for the Customs chaps Christmas bash one year.
Nope, don't remember that one.

I do remember someone doing that and then trying to sell it on at a profit though!:}

[dagama]

I discussed the duty payable with the Customs office at LYN when they had a permanent presence there, before departing on a flight, if I was planning to bring back anything unusual and/or above the allowance. Never knew who I had talked to but got a good idea of how much I would be stitched up for.

On returning from one trip, went to declare the item and the custom officer said that he remebered somebody asking him about the duty on said item. I said that it was me and he said, 'Shall we call that £20?' The word 'bargain' went through my mind and I promptly paid up with a 'Thank you'.

They had absolute discretion as to the amount they could charge and were generally ok if 'customers' played ball with them.

[BEagle]

Indeed, dagama!

I once came home out-of-HMRC hours, did the self-declaration paperwork including leaving them a blank cheque......and was never charged a penny.

But on another occasion the 'Customs OCU' came to greet us after a trip to Tabuk, returning via a QTR at Palermo. I'd bought some 'Thomsun original' cassettes (yes, it was that long ago), which I duly declared. "How much did they cost you?", I was asked by one of the U/T customs officers. "NNN riyals". "What's that in pounds?" "Sorry, don't know - not much though"..... Refers to paperwork and calculator before telling me "That'll be £1.87 duty please"....:\

Sometimes they could be a little awkward - such as the infamous Farquar-the-revenue at Scampton, who charged Mongo Bl**s car tax on the ride-on lawn mower he'd brought back from Offutt. But on appeal and Mongo's statement "I'm not going shopping in Lincoln High Street on the damn thing!", the tax was refunded.

[larssnowpharter]

I never landed at Brize after a few weeks in Nairobbery and went through the likes of this:

Customs Officer: Anything to declare?

Lars: Bottle and 200 and the front belly is full of coffee beans.

Customs Officer: **** off!

:cool:

[Whenurhappy]

BArnstormer,

I agree with your sentiments in toto. Even if there is a whiff of suspicsion that the activities of these greedy, selfish beggers had an impact on the operational supply chain, the reputation of the RAF as a whole will suffer. Movers do an indispensible job, and whereas their image in the past had taken a hammering (I remember a very porky movements Cpl in Akrotiri bulging out of too-tight KD - looking every inch a 'Come Fly with Me' character - being outstandingly rude and unhelpful when we had suffered our third delay in returning from the Middle East on R&R) but I have also seen the crappy hours they work meeting and dispatching aircraft full of angry, sullen young men and women who are determined to have a go at them. And then there is the huge amount of freight they move in ****ty environmental conditions with little thanks. Ten years of continuous high-end operations have enhanced the reputation of the RAF as a fighting force; perhaps our ire should be levelled at the 'stay-at-homes' who think that one 3 month OOA to Vincenza in 1998 was enough to knock on the door of One Star.

Oh, and if there is anyone who can change the toe-curling 'Sirs, Ma'ams, Ladies and Gentlemen, Excuse Ranks' malarky in departure halls/tents/aircraft......please do.

After all, everyone knows that the plural of Sir is Gentlemen...

[Training Risky]

Wow - there's a lot of vitriol being thrown over these movers. For what? Trying to cheat the taxman and getting more jailtime than a child abuser ever would?

Where's the vitriol, and punishment, for the senior bankers (Fred Goodwin) who have stolen FAR more public money than these hapless movers ever could?

Is it because the rich and powerful are too big to fail and it's embarrassing when they do...but the government must make an example out of the small fry because it's easier to enforce?

I know who I'd rather see do jailtime. Illegallity and immorality are all too often mutually exclusive in this country, and Joe taxpayer suffers as a result.:mad:

[Alber Ratman]

I'm surprised Sgt Walker had any ciggies to smuggle back.. Worked with him out in the COB when I was running the VAHS.. He was a chain smoker and a half!

His boys were the biggest bunch of village idiots though, not surprised his antics were not rumbled!:eek:

Mate of mine (in the trade) told me how they did it too!:E

[Airborne Aircrew]

Mate of mine (in the trade) told me how they did it too!Oh do tell Ginger... It'll be a spiffing yarn... :hmm:

[Ron Fenest]

Maybe on a different scale but I for one will admit "there but for the grace of (insert deity here) go I" and many many others.

For starters, after spending many years with 3 Cdo Bde on various Norway jaunts I feel the UK probably benefited in the long term from the enterprising approach of just about everyone there remotely connected to the DF store.

Some of the stuff shipped back from Granby, Grapple, Telic and just about every other operational deployment would give HMRC a field day. The old logistical pipeline from BAOR through Marchwood was a godsend to those willing to use it.

I suggest that the Holier than thou attitude by some posters is significant in that it clearly shows one thing; those posters were out of touch with reality and had/have no idea of what is going on around them beyond tea and medals. Spiffing.

[draken55]

"they had absolute discretion"

In the pre EU days perhaps. However, it took years for Customs & Excise to accept they could not charge any tax on purchases made by individuals who had already paid full tax in another EU State. All that confiscated wine, beer and ciggies not to mention crushing the cars of the "tax cheats" and it was the Excise man who was breaking the Law:O

Within the EU, it's now the declining airline baggage allowance that is a break to personal imports but if you can provide your own transport.:E

Even outside the UK/EU, there are anomalies. Aviation (and other) books costing £50 in the UK can be bought from the USA for $40. Add on cheap (at present) P&P and you can save a wack importing as there is no import duty on books!

[Parapunter]

I have a pal in HMRC who used to deal with these kind of investigations. Some of the tales he told would make you weep, such as the guys who'll take thirty odd no hopers off a council estate, send them to the Canaries & back same day, all loaded down with as many cigarettes as you can fit in an ambulant chav/ned/useless member of society demonination as required.

The weeze relied on the known short staffing in the green channel & the relatively light punishments if caught - I.e. a fine the first couple of times, at which point you're dropped from the crew & replaced by another ne'er do well.

So when you extrapolate the attempts that go on with this kind of thing daily, I'm not persuaded at all that it's a victimless crime As Arthur believes. Over time, the duty evaded adds up and besides, by it's very nature, we can only guess at the scale - not everyone gets caught right?

[draken55]

The Canaries like the Channel Islands are "Special Territories" within the EU and so import VAT is payable. Said chav's only had to go to Calais!

Way back in 1979 you could not leave the UK with more than £50 in cash. Now it seems you can fire off money all over the place. That's a big help for migrant workers especially within the EU but a worry for HMR&C and Security having to watch out for tax evasion and terrorist funding!

Within the EU many tax rates have now been "harmonised" although differences remain. For example, Denmark levies VAT at 25% and in Ireland Corporation Tax is at 10%.

End of off thread Taxation and Finance drift:O

[Tankertrashnav]

I suggest that the Holier than thou attitude by some posters is significant in that it clearly shows one thing; those posters were out of touch with reality and had/have no idea of what is going on around them beyond tea and medals. Spiffing.


Or to put it another way, we're not self-confessed criminals. My serving army NCO son sees a lot of this, and the worst culprits are SNCO's in positions of trust on comfortable salaries which a lot of civvies can only dream of, yet greed means they can't help themselves. When they get caught I can only quote the old saying - "If you can't do the time - don't do the crime."

[Ron Fenest]

Tankertrashnav.

Yes of course it is just those overpaid greedy SNCO's. Because we all know that Officers are indeed gentlemen and would never stoop so low.

With that in mind, stand fast all those officers who have NEVER exceeded their customs allowance at any time, or exceeded a speed limit, or never ignored the bottle to throttle rule.

Remainder one pace forward

I've been trampled!

Agree though, don't so it unless you are prepared to face the consequences. I don't agree with your sweeping generalisation of SNCO's, that is just a tad crass.

[Tankertrashnav]

Ron - If you read my post again you will see that what I am passing is my son's experience as an army NCO. Quite naturally he has much more to do with other NCOs than officers - no doubt officers who move outside of his circles are also represented in the ranks of those who cant help adding to their incomes by illegal activities. And we're not talking about exceeding duty free allowance by 200 cigs here, but organised smuggling.

I rather think you have read more into my post than I put in. I served as an officer and saw some dodgy things going on among other officers, he is serving as an NCO and is seeing the same things happening among his fellow sergeants and WO's - simple as that.

[NUFC1892]

Only a slight tangent, but I do recall in Belize in 1979 we were actually given the ciggies that had been confiscated. They must have come from the UK as I don't recall any Op Plunder or the like taking place in those "good old days"

[philrigger]

;)

I recall many issues of Customs ciggies whilst in Belize during the late 70s. We Puma low lifes only received the brands that the top feeders did not like. Hey Ho! Also we had them issued in Cyprus in the early 70s. They usually came in tins of 50.

I cannot say I am entirely innocent of smuggling ciggies back to UK in service containers, be they wooden crates or airframes! There but for the grace of god go I.

Philrigger.

[pasir]

... 2 to 3 years in the slammer for just over £1-million in lost
vat and duty ? - Seems well OTT - considering thats the amount pocketed every 14 days or so by 875 Lordships useless mouths in daily attendance and expense allowances !


...

[ColinB]

So the source of cigarettes was Kabul and Muscat, do they actually manufacture UK brand cigarettes there?
I know the ones smuggled to Spain from North Africa and on to the UK are mostly "knock-offs" whose main constituent is reputed to camel dung or other non-tobacco fillings but packaged beautifully.
I have seen it reported that the most lucrative forms of forgery are not currency but wine labels, scent labels and cigarette packaging.
The masterminds who designed this scheme could quite legitimately gone to Ostend and bought the same things tax free.

[xenolith]

The more that I read this (slightly tedious) thread, the more I wonder how the movers at Aldergrove got away with it for so long.

[gman1911]

I believe the full truth and scale will come out soon as one of the party has used his time wisely to write about it all.

I suppose he is locked up most of the day.

[Kreuger flap]

Well, I do hope they make a load of money from telling their story, I would hate to think they won't profit from their crime. Please post a link to the book when it is published.:ok:

[gman1911]

They wont be profiting with the amounts having to be repaid under the proceeds of crime act.

[Pontius Navigator]

KF, sardonic humour?

I am under the impression that the proceeds of crime, such as writing books, could be siezed.

If you are merely guilty of perverting the course of justice and perjury, OTOH, you can write about it with impunity and then go on cruise ships and talk about it.

[Tacomato]

I got my hopes up there that ALL RAF movers had been jailed - oh well, 3's better than nothing!

[high spirits]

My personal opinion is that those returning from Herrick should purchase their 200 cig allowance, sell it to those at home and then donate the profit to H4H. Tax the government!

[Dengue_Dude]

Perhaps Chaz Fink's UK BAGS would have to be renamed UK FAGS, but since they've been locked up, doubtless it's UK LAGS.

OK, OK, I'm going to bed . . .

[November4]

And after time inside...

A former RAF senior aircraftman from Teesside jailed for his part in a cigarette smuggling operation has been ordered to pay back £80,000.

and

The confiscation hearing at Bristol Crown Court also ordered civilian worker Lisa Harrison to repay £95,000.

BBC (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-19555767)

Good that crime doesn't pay...in this case

[NutLoose]

I recall many issues of Customs ciggies whilst in Belize during the late 70s. We Puma low lifes only received the brands that the top feeders did not like. Hey Ho! Also we had them issued in Cyprus in the early 70s. They usually came in tins of 50.

I cannot say I am entirely innocent of smuggling ciggies back to UK in service containers, be they wooden crates or airframes! There but for the grace of god go I.

Philrigger.

Same in Germany, you would just go get 200 and sign for them from the huge stock in the office... Eventually after a month or so you would pop in and all that we're left we're menthols, still they were free, but after a drag on one of those, I slung the rest. Wonder if I ever get cancer I could sue HM revenue and customs :ok:

[paull]

What did the guys get for gun running in Cyprus, talked to someone who investigated that at the time, narrowly avoided getting assassinated. Did any senior officers get punished?

[Pontius Navigator]

And what happened about the Kandahar 3 moving earth?

[Fareastdriver]

There was a scam going on with the Brae oil platforms when they were being built. They were the last of the fabricated offshore platforms so had hundreds of workers offshore involved with the building and fiiting out. We were running some nine or ten return trips loaded with nineteen pax every weekday and the flights used to start at 07.00 hrs until late at night. The pax had to go through customs and the procedure for the pax was for them to get off the helicopter and proceed to the area where they removed their immersion suits. Whilst this was happening the baggage handlers would unload the baggage and leave it on trolleys outside the disrobing room. Then they would come down, pick up their baggage; and go through customs.

Customs at Aberdeen were quite busy and there were insufficient staff to handle all three heliports plus the terminal in the evening so quite often they would leave the heliports after the majority of traffic around 17.00hrs. I came in just before the airfield closed with a full load of pax and whilst I was doing the paperwork a baggage handler asked me to whom all the cigarettes belonged to.

I went down with him and on the trollies parked where the baggage was picked up there two large black polythene bags. They had been left behind and a baggage handler had looked inside to see if he could indentify the owner as there were no baggage labels on them. That is when he found out that they were full of cigarettes. I found the answer by looking up at the customs room; customs were packing up for the night.

What had most certainly happened was that somebody(ies) had bought the cigarettes knowing that they were on the last flight with a good chance that customs would not be there. In that case they would pick up the unmarked poly bags and take them through. This time they could see that customs were there so they had just abandoned them.

They were being smuggled in for profit. The result was that allowances were formalised, Offshore workers were allowed a carton which would have covered most of their reqiremnts until the next trip. Unfortunately for pilots it was only one packet, which didn't.

Not that it made any difference.;)

[gijoe]

The lady convicted in this case always looked very shifty when on shift..this is obviously why and this is not meant as a throwaway comment.

G:ok: (Ret'd)

PS Google 'Major HCR tank museum' to find someone else upto something else below the line where I worked....

BBC - Radio 4 - Saturday Live - Home Page (http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/saturdaylive/saturdaylive_20070609.shtml)