‘This Is Theft From the Taxpayer’: Agents Dismantle Illicit Distillery and Seize Hundreds of Bottles of Suspected Counterfeit Alcohol
(Photo: HMRC)
On Feb. 1, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) agents dismantled an illicit distillery discovered in Staffordshire. The alcohol factory was estimated to be capable of producing up to 150 bottles of counterfeit vodka every hour.
The property housed counterfeit vodka and production machinery. Agents estimate the factory had the capacity to evade £2.5 million (over $3 million) in taxes every year. Officers seized hundreds of bottles of Krackoff vodka which is suspected to be counterfeit. The tanks on the premises could hold up to 7,000 liters.
Overall, the operation was quite substantial.
“The sale of illegal alcohol will not be tolerated by us or our partner agencies. Disrupting criminal trade is at the heart of our strategy to clamp down on the illicit alcohol market which costs the UK around £1 billion per year,” said Assistant Director, Fraud Investigation Service, HMRC, Judith Rockett.
Rockett continued, “This is theft from the taxpayer. This crime hurts legitimate businesses and the people that buy the often-dangerous products.”
Illegal alcohol can have a number of negative side effects explained a local cabinet member.
“Fake and illegal alcohol can be extremely harmful to people’s health and can cause lifelong disabilities. It’s something that our Trading Standards service takes very seriously and works hard with partner agencies to tackle,” said Victoria Wilson, Cabinet Member with responsibility for Trading Standards at Staffordshire County Council.
The investigation is currently ongoing and no arrests have been made. At this time, it is unclear if the vodka was tainted or harmful.
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