A purchase of 4,200 cigarettes in March was referred to the UK Border Force, which informed HMRC ALAMYA fraudster pretended to be going on trips abroad so he could stock up on duty-free cigarettes and cheat HM Revenue & Customs out of nearly £4,000 in tax. Kevin Wilson booked cut-price one-way tickets to the Canary Islands for the same dates that he reserved return flights to Belfast. He would present the boarding pass for his one-way ticket at an airport duty-free store, which would allow him to buy cigarettes VAT-free because the Canary Islands have fiscal and economic exceptions despite being within the EU. Wilson would then take a flight to Belfast and return the same day. The details emerged when Wilson, 40, appeared at Paisley sheriff court to admit his guilt over the fraud.

Source: The Times January 05, 2020 23:59 UTC