Two Manchester men have been jailed for smuggling over 2.5 tons of tobacco into the UK in a £450,000 tax fraud.

Mohammed Kattany, aged 37, who was the director of Unique Hairdressers in Bramhall, Manchester hid smuggled fruit-flavoured tobacco in freight imports from Dubai, postal parcels, and his own luggage.

He was sentenced alongside his accomplice, Ahmed Al-Salaima, aged 33, who owned Snipz hairdressers in Withington.

The pair were arrested in July 2013, after they were linked by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) investigators to several seizures of illegal tobacco at the Port of Felixstowe, Heathrow airport and Manchester airport by UK Border Force (BF).

The smuggling attempts were all traced back to companies or addresses associated with the men.

Sandra Smith, Assistant Director, Fraud Investigation Service, HMRC, said, “These determined smugglers used flimsy excuses to blame others for the hidden tobacco but all the evidence led directly to them.

"Nearly three tons of illegal tobacco were intercepted before making it to the streets of Manchester thanks to the joint work of HMRC and BF. This was a serious attempt to steal hundreds of thousands of pounds from the public purse and undermine local businesses.

“We urge anyone with information about the trade in smuggled goods to contact the Customs Hotline on 0800 59 5000.

"If you’re ever offered cheap or dodgy-looking cigarettes or tobacco, call us – don’t let the crooks get away with this type of fraud.”

Kattany and Al-Salaima were each jailed for two years at Manchester Crown Court for tax evasion on the tobacco products.