MORE than 50 million smuggled cigarettes have been uncovered by customs officers at Southampton in the space of just eight weeks.

The size of the tidal wave of bootlegged cigarettes - more than most major docks would expect in a year - has stunned investigators.

The 50 million "explosion" includes one batch of 21 million, the largest ever found at the port, uncovered on a boat from China in late June.

And in a little over a month the illicit trade passing through the city, which customs have admitted could be far more widespread than even they know, has meant the government has lost nearly £5 million in duty.

The full details of all the catches are not being released yet because some smugglers are still under surveillance and have not been arrested.

But the latest find, the Daily Echo can reveal, was 6.3 million Embassy Regal cigarettes found in a container at the docks on July 26.

Keith Nugus, Southampton customs assistant collector, confirmed the batch was found behind the stated cargo - plastic food containers - on the contain-er vessel NOL Amazonite.

He said: "It was shown on documentation that 499 cartons or boxes of plastic containers were in the consignment. When it was checked there were 141 car-tons of plastic at the front and 358 cartons containing cigarettes."

The container vessel had sailed from Selangor in Malaysia, via Singapore.

He said the cargo was kept under surveillance and then followed to a delivery point in Manchester where five men were arrested last Wednesday.

Three were charged and have already appeared briefly before Manchester magistrates, two were granted police bail and one was released.

In the latest case, as in the others, the ship's master and crew are believed to be totally unaware of their illegal cargo.

All the batches uncovered at the docks are understood to have been destined for other locations, mostly the Midlands and the north of England.

Investigators working for the National Customs Intelligence Service have followed the contraband tobacco to its destination before swooping to make arrests.

Ironically most of the huge consignments are actually made in Britain, then exported legally duty free.

But smugglers try to sneak them back into the county without paying the hefty tax.

"We are facing a big upsurge in the number of cases we are discovering,'' said Mr Nugus.

"This trade has just exploded in the last few months."

The finds co-incided with the launch of the new Customs campaign promoting their confidential hotline on 0800 59 5000.

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