A Birmingham man has been sentenced for his involvement in a gang that smuggled more than 150 million cigarettes into the United Kingdom, evading over £41 million in tax and excise duty.
Ptzewan Khaleed Majeed, of Reservoir Road, Birmingham, was sentenced at Manchester Crown Court as part of an HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) investigation into an organised cigarette smuggling operation. He acted as a cigarette distribution driver for the group, which illegally brought over 150 million cigarettes into the country.
Majeed pleaded guilty to participating in the activities of an organised crime group and received a 17-month prison sentence, suspended for two years. He was one of 11 men sentenced at Manchester Crown Court for their roles in the operation.
Gang operations
The gang members operated out of business premises in Lancashire and Staffordshire. They were observed taking part in deliveries, van swaps, and exchanges of boxes and bags as part of the smuggling scheme.
The men were convicted of smuggling 150 million cigarettes based on observations of 15 deliveries between October 2017 and February 2018. The total duty evaded amounted to £41,609,720.
Sentences handed down
All 11 men pleaded guilty to their roles in the fraud during hearings between 2023 and 2025. At Manchester Crown Court on Thursday, 23 April 2026, five of the men received immediate sentences of more than 10 years in jail, while the other six, including Majeed, received suspended sentences of up to 10 years.
The case highlights the scale of organised cigarette smuggling and the significant tax evasion involved, with HMRC continuing to target such criminal networks.
