CRIME
ILLEGAL ALCOHOL
HMRC seizes 200,000 litres of booze at illegal distillery Officers discovered five stills when they searched an industrial estate in Bolton.
A
n illegal alcohol distillery has been dismantled by HM Revenue & Customs in Bolton, Greater Manchester. HMRC officers searched an industrial estate in the city where they discovered large quantities of alcohol and five stills. The officers filled 12 40ft trailers with the alcohol, which carried potential lost revenue totalling £300,000. Eamonn O’Neill, Assistant Director, Fraud Investigation Service, HMRC, said: “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 £1bn per year. This is theft from the taxpayer and undermines legitimate traders.” More than 1,000 cannabis plants were also found at the site, as well as red diesel, along with two cars and an industrial-sized container full of the fuel. Chief Inspector Mike Russell, of
Greater Manchester Police’s Bolton district, said: “This was a very sophisticated operation and would have taken a lot of time and effort to set up and maintain. “We would appeal for anyone with any information or who may have seen anything suspicious going on in or around the building to contact police. “This is an excellent example of how we work with partners like HMRC to tackle crime across the region.” Investigations are continuing and no arrests have been made.
WEDNESDAY 17TH NOVEMBER 2021 / ISSUE 82 / SLRMAG.CO.UK / 15
