A series of raids in Tayside saw four people were arrested for tobacco smuggling offences.
The four men were arrested in Arbroath and Dundee after the seizure of 1.5 tonnes of hand-rolling tobacco and nearly 30,000 cigarettes, which is worth over £360,000 in lost duty.
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) officers, accompanied by police, searched six private and business addresses in the Dundee, Arbroath and Blairgowrie areas.
They seized the suspected illicit cigarettes and tobacco along with 50 boxes of counterfeit packaging and machinery to shred tobacco.
Two men from Dundee, aged 28 and 24, and two men from Arbroath, aged 51 and 27, were arrested and charged under the Customs & Excise Management Act 1979, section 170 offences.
They were all charged and released pending further enquiries and a report to the procurator fiscal.
Joe Hendry, criminal investigation at HMRC, said: “Tobacco smuggling is organised fraud on a global scale, encouraging and supporting criminality within our communities and robbing taxpayers of billions each year in unpaid duty and VAT.
“We urge anyone with information about the transport, storage, or sale of suspect alcohol or tobacco to contact us on the Customs’ Hotline on 0800 59 5000 or www.hmrc.gov.uk/customs-hotline.”