Lorry driver jailed for alcohol fraud

A lorry driver caught smuggling 63,342 litres of alcohol into the UK, stealing £90,000 from the UK taxpayer, has been jailed.

McFadden has been jailed for 21 months

Sean McFadden, 34, from Letterkenny, County Donegal, was arrested in October 2012 when he was stopped by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) in Eastbourne. Officers found 26 pallets containing nearly 14,826 litres of beer hidden in his HGV. The alcohol, worth an estimated £29,000 in lost duty and taxes, was seized along with his HGV.

This was not the first time McFadden had been caught smuggling alcohol, having previously received formal cautions over two illegal hauls of alcohol.

In December 2011 he was caught at a cash and carry in Barking, London, with 24,643 litres of beer worth £29,000 in lost duty and taxes. Then, in May 2012, he was caught at an industrial estate in Essex, with a further 23,873 litres of mixed beer worth more than £34,000 in lost duty and taxes.

David Margree, assistant director of criminal investigation at HMRC, said: “McFadden was only interested in lining his own pockets. He knew he was committing a crime, but continued even though he had previously been stopped and cautioned. He had no regard for the law or that he was stealing from the UK taxpayer and the country’s public finances. Excise evasion is a serious offence and, as this case shows, HMRC don’t hesitate to take action where we find evidence of fraud.”

McFadden pleaded guilty to three counts of alcohol smuggling offences and was sentenced to 21 months in prison at Lewes Crown Court on 24 March.