🚨 Big news from Cardiff! 🚨 A gang has been caught dodging over £1.4 million in excise duty on tobacco. They were hiding hundreds of thousands of illicit cigarettes in homes and a storage unit around the city! The group, including Ning He and Xinhui Xie, managed this sophisticated operation from October 2024 through April 2025.
Authorities discovered their secret when they found a whopping 100,000+ cigarettes and a tonne of tobacco hidden in properties on MacKintosh Place and Emerald Street and at Big Yellow Self Storage. The stash was meant for local shops, hoping to sell the counterfeit cigarettes made in “safe houses.”
During the raid, officers also seized equipment for packaging and processing tobacco, counterfeit duty stamps, and a significant amount of cash. Even more surprising, they found items like vinegar to mask the tobacco smell! One member was caught with £11,000, luxury clothing, and tobacco.
All four defendants pleaded guilty and have been sentenced to time behind bars. Their sentences ranged from over two years to nearly five years. The judge called it a “commercial enterprise” driven by the pursuit of money, noting the financial strain some of the group were under.
This discovery reveals the lengths some will go to for profit, but it also highlights the diligent work of law enforcement in protecting our communities from illegal activities. Stay alert, Cardiff! 🧐 #CrimeNews #Cardiff #JusticeServed