Bo'ness woman sold illegal cigarettes from home

Image source, HMRC

Image caption, The damaged package which led HMRC officers to Lynda Robb's operation

A Bo'ness woman has admitted selling illegal and fake tobacco from her own home.

Lynda Robb evaded more than 拢3,500 in excise duty from goods sold from the address in Livingstone Drive.

The 58-year-old received packages in the post filled with non-duty paid goods.

She became the subject of an HMRC investigation when a damaged box containing 7.5kg of tobacco addressed to her was intercepted.

The parcel included 2.5kg of Robin Hood tobacco, which is not sold in the UK.

'Undercutting honest retailers'

In May 2018, HMRC officers searched the house where they found cigarettes and more tobacco that was non-duty paid.

Duty due on all the goods was 拢3,709.76, while much of the tobacco was tested and found to be counterfeit.

An HMRC spokesman said: "Robb sold illegal cigarettes and tobacco to line her own pockets, while undercutting honest, hard-working retailers who do the right thing.

"Disrupting criminal trade is at the heart of our strategy to clampdown on the illicit tobacco market, which costs the UK around 拢2.5bn a year. "

At Falkirk Sheriff Court on Thursday, Robb was sentenced to a community payback order of 75 hours unpaid work, to be completed within three months.