Tobacco gang jailed after £1.4m excise duty fraud uncovered in Cardiff safe houses
A gang who evaded paying more than £1m worth of excise duty on tobacco were found in possession of hundreds and thousands of cigarettes housed in residential properties and storage units in Cardiff. Deliveries were made to local shops in order to sell boxes of cigarettes, which had been produced at safe houses.
Ning He, 30, Qianfeng Ning, 30, Xinhui Xie, 62, and Wei Chen, 56, were involved in the operation to fraudulently evade paying duty on illegal tobacco, between October 2024 and April 2025. The defendants used residential properties in MacKintosh Place and Emerald Street and a unit at Big Yellow Self Storage in Cardiff where boxes of cigarettes were kept.
A sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court on Friday heard well over 100,000 cigarettes were found at the two properties and a tonne of tobacco was later seized from the storage unit.
Prosecutor Emma Harris said Ning He played a managerial role and Xinhui Xie was responsible for acting as a security guard.
Qianfeng Ning and Wei Chen were seen coming and going from MacKintosh Place and Emerald Street, and were seen attending other properties in Cardiff, corner shops and mini markets.
The prosecution said both defendants were delivering large deliveries of tobacco to those locations.
The court heard well over 100,000 cigarettes were seized from the Big Yellow Storage Unit.
When MacKintosh Place and Emerald Street were searched by police, they found a large amount of cash, 45 bags of tobacco, packaging and hand pumps containing vinegar, used to mask the smell of tobacco.
Equipment was found relating to the processing of tobacco, packaging, counterfeit duty paid stamps and other paraphernalia.
Ms Harris said the total excise duty not paid on the cigarettes was £1,442,712. The prosecutor described the enterprise as a "sophisticated operation".
The cigarettes were sent for analysis and were confirmed to be counterfeit cigarettes.
When He was arrested, he was found in possession of £11,000, tobacco and luxury clothing.
The court heard all defendants were of previous good character.
Sentencing, Judge Paul Hobson said: "This was plainly a commercial enterprise, the purpose of which was to make money. In mitigation, I have been told two of you were in financial difficulty...
"The financial aspect of this case is further underlined by the quantity of cash recovered during the investigation and by the considerable outlay in running it by way of rental costs."
He, of Arlington Crescent, Llanrumney, Cardiff, was sentenced to four years and nine months imprisonment.
Ning, of Trade Street, Butetown, Cardiff, was sentenced to 40 months imprisonment.
Xie, of MacKintosh Place, Roath, Cardiff, was sentenced to two years and eight months imprisonment.
Chen, of Mark Street, Riverside, Cardiff, was sentenced to 38 months imprisonment.
World Affairs Correspondent
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