CUSTOMS officials in Southamp-ton have seized more than nine million smuggled cigarettes from the city's docks.

The huge haul was discovered in a freight container at Southampton Docks.

A HM Customs and Excise spokes-man said the smuggled cigarettes would have been worth around £1.8m in lost revenue.

The goods are believed to have been destined for the west of Scotland. Six men were detained in connection with the haul and quizzed about where the cigarettes had come from.

All were interviewed and released on Wednesday, pending the outcome of further inquiries.

A Customs spokesman said a full report would be submitted to the Prosecutor Fiscal for consideration.

It is understood five of the six people detained were from Glasgow. The seizure is the latest in a long line of success stories for customs officers in Southampton.

In December, four people were arrested after eight kilos of cocaine - worth an estimated £750,000 - were seized at Southampton Central railway station.

Customs officials believed the drugs had been smuggled into Britain via a banana boat.

Anyone with information about illegally imported drugs, tobacco, alcohol or VAT fraud is asked to call the confidential 24-hour Customs hotline on 0800 595000.