Authorities Seize 75,000 Liters of Illegal Beer in Week-Long Surveillance Operation
The panels of a truck are stripped to reveal crates of illegal beer in a week-long surveillance operation at a Scottish port. (Photo: Supplied to The Sun)
The United Kingdom’s tax authority, Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC), successfully seized more than 75,000 liters of illegal beer in a week-long surveillance operation conducted in collaboration with Police Scotland. As reported by The Sun on Monday, this operation, conducted as part of the Serious Organised Crime Taskforce, targeted the P&O terminal and focused on the ferry route connecting Larne in Northern Ireland.
The illegal beer, equivalent to 132,000 pints of lager, is reported to have traveled from the Republic of Ireland through Northern Ireland and into Scotland using heavy goods vehicle (HGV) transporters. At least three lorries were stopped at Cairnryan, per The Sun, where customs staff conducted targeted searches, leading to the discovery of the contraband.
Images taken between Feb. 23 and 28 depict officers inspecting the vehicles suspected of carrying the illicit beer. In one instance, a truck’s panels were stripped to reveal wooden crates of the seized products on the flatbed.
The operation reflects the commitment of HMRC and Police Scotland to combating the sale of illegal alcohol, a trade that costs the U.K. approximately £1 billion per year in lost revenue from taxes, The Sun noted.
An HMRC spokesperson stated that disrupting the criminal trade is a central element of HMRC’s strategy to crack down on the illicit alcohol market.
“We can confirm a total of 75,000 litres of suspected illicit beer was seized at Cairnryan Port between 23 and 28 February 2024 following a joint operation with Police Scotland,” the spokesperson explained in The Sun’s report.
“As committed partners of the Serious Organised Crime Taskforce HMRC and Police Scotland will not tolerate the sale of illegal alcohol. Disrupting criminal trade is at the heart of HMRC’s strategy to clamp down on the illicit alcohol market which costs the UK around £1billion per year.”
The raids took place amid ongoing discussions about a proposed 30% increase in the minimum unit price (MUP) of alcohol in Scotland. This adjustment will lead to elevated prices for various alcoholic beverages, driven by the goal of addressing alcohol-related harm and keeping pace with inflation. The scheduled implementation date for this change is Sept. 30.
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