THE trial of four men accused of plotting to evade duty on millions of cigarettes, has ended dramatically at Manchester Crown Court.

Following the closing speech of prosecutor Christopher Cornwall, Judge Anthony Hammond heard legal argument in the absence of the jury. Then he upheld submissions by defence lawyers, discharged the jury and ordered the men should be re-tried later in the year, probably in November.

They are haulage contractor Stuart Taylor, 43, Land Ends Cottage, Balderstone, his transport manager Nicholas Harris, 40, Charles Street, Rishton, and drivers Sean Bunkell, 35, of Lytham St Annes and Darren Pollard, 32, of Brook Street, Rishton, were bailed.

They all denied conspiring together and with Stephen Wynn, 42, and Francis Beckett, 35, to evade duty on cigarettes between August 1997 and the following March.

The jury had been told Wynn, of Widnes and Beckett, of Ormskirk, had pleaded guilty and would be sentenced later. They also heard two HGVs, driven by Bunkell and Pollard, were stopped at Portsmouth after arriving from Caen on March 15, 1998.

Customs found 6.4million cigarettes concealed behind the legitimate load of oranges in their trailers.

The crown claimed there was evidence there could have been four earlier importations of contraband cigarettes on Stuart Taylor International vehicles. Customs had estimated as many as 23.68 million cigarettes were unlawfully imported into the UK. In consequence, £2,400,000 of duty was allegedly evaded.

All four defendants gave evidence in the 15 day trial and denied any involvement in the high scale smuggling operation alleged by the crown. They said they had been duped by others and insisted they believed the shipments - loaded in Spain by customers - were legitimate consignments.

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