A London businessman has been sentenced after trying to smuggle over a tonne of shisha tobacco into the UK.

The estimated cost to the taxpayer was in lost duty was £106,000.

Qualified barrister, Mohammed Shaikh, aged 27, of Hounslow, was working as a Hatton Garden jeweller when he was arrested by investigators from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) in December 2013, after the tobacco was found in a lorry at the Port of Felixstowe hidden in a consignment of charcoal sacks.

The load was headed for a private address in Rochford, Essex, where Shaikh was apprehended by HMRC officers and the shisha was seized.

A computer was also seized during a search of his home address, which was found to have been used to design the sacks the tobacco was hidden in.

Paul Barton, Assistant Director, Criminal Investigation, HMRC, said, “Being a trained barrister, Shaikh knew full well that he was breaking the law, but thought he could make easy money, attempting to hide the smuggled tobacco by claiming to be importing charcoal. He was wrong, stealing money that should be paying for public services is a serious offence and we take robust action to detect and bring those responsible before the courts.

“We encourage anyone with information on tobacco smuggling to contact the Customs Hotline on 0800 59 5000.”

Shaikh was a director of Shaikh & Sons Limited, based in Hatton Garden, London, trading in gold and making high quality bespoke jewellery. He is a qualified barrister, though not currently practising at the bar.

He was sentenced to 15 months in prison, suspended for two years, as well as 150 hours of unpaid work when he appeared at Ipswich Crown Court today.