Simion Bocan, of Transylvania, Romania, was stopped by Border Force officers at Dover Eastern Docks in October 2015.
Bocan told officers the lorry’s trailer unit contained 30 pallets of frozen baguettes. But the soggy, raw and mouldy bread was being used to hide boxes loaded with 2.9m ‘Regal King-Size’ cigarettes worth £788,249 in evaded duty.
A HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) investigation found it was likely a trial run was made, using the same bread, a few days earlier.
A European Arrest Warrant was issued after Bocan fled from the UK while on bail. He was extradited from Romania in July 2016 and remanded in custody.
Alan Tully, assistant director, fraud investigation service at HMRC, said Bocan smuggled a substantial quantity of illegal cigarettes into the UK.
“He fled the country to try to avoid paying for his crimes. However, no one is beyond HMRC’s reach, and with the co-operation of our overseas partners he is now behind bars.”
Bocan pleaded not guilty to the fraudulent evasion of excise duty at Maidstone Crown Court in August but changed his plea to admit guilt in December. He was jailed for four years and three months.