Woman tried to smuggle cigarettes into the country

Rukhsana Kauser (24) of Lincoln Road, Peterborough, was ordered to carry out 120 hours of unpaid work after admitting trying to bring the tobacco into the UK.

Birmingham Magistrates’ Court heard Kauser was caught trying to smuggle the cigarettes in from Pakistan on a number of occasions over a nine month period last year.

Kauser was stopped at a number of airports across the country by HM Customs staff – even after she had already been arrested.

She was arrested on June 25, 2016 at Birmingham International airport after failing to declare cigarettes over the duty allowance for the third time.

Kauser was then caught committing the same offence at London Heathrow airport two months later.

She was previously caught at Birmingham International on December 8 2015 and Manchester International on April 22 2016.

A total of 31,200 cigarettes were seized by HM Revenue and Customs, with a duty value of £7,805.63.

Kauser pleaded guilty to fraudulent evasion of excise duty at a hearing at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday.

She was given a 12 month community order, which included the unpaid work, and was ordered to pay £185 costs and £85 victim surcharge order.