Reading man smuggled over 200,000 cigarettes through Heathrow Airport- Jackalyn Chan prosecuted for the Crown
IT worker, Lookman Kukoyi, 39, of Reading, was detained by Heathrow customs last year smuggling a total of 229,800 cigarettes. The value of the duty was estimated at £80,000. The defendant said he got involved with the cigarette smuggling operation in order to fund his Father’s cancer treatment in Nigeria, and had racked up tens of thousands of pounds of debt in the process.
Sentencing him to 20 months imprisonment, suspended for 20 months, the Judge took issue with the defendant’s portrayal of himself as a ‘runner’, suggesting he may have played a more significant role, but acknowledged the crime was effectively victimless.
The defendant was also ordered to complete 300 hours of unpaid work and 20 days of rehabilitation activities.
