Eleven men (including one from Wester Ross) who smuggled 150 million cigarettes into the UK and avoided paying more than £41m in tax and duty have been sentenced.
His Majesty's Revenue and Customs officers monitored conversations between members of the gang, based in Bolton, Greater Manchester, between August 2017 and April 2018.
After seizing nearly £1m cash in planned vehicle stops, they found the gang had also been running cigarette delivery sites out of businesses in the North West of England. All 11 men, including Carl Coxon from Gairloch pleaded guilty to the charges and have been sentenced.
Support is available for Accessible Voting at the forthcoming 2026 Scottish Parliament Election.
As the Election approaches on Thursday 7th May, the Returning Officers are ensuring that the democratic process is accessible to all electors across the Highlands. New assistive measures are being introduced, such as a wide range of physical adjustments; disabled parking, ramps, wheelchair-accessible booths position for optimal lighting, and seating for individuals who are unable to stand for long periods. There will also be a variety of assistive aids for those with visual impairments.
And in the weekend’s football news:
Ross County kept its hopes of avoiding automatic relegation from the Championship alive on Saturday when it beat Greenock Morton four nil. To qualify for the playoffs County needs to win its final match next Friday and also needs the result of Airdrieonians match against Greenock Morton to work in its favour.
Inverness Caley Thistle missed its opportunity to clinch the League One title when it was held to a one each draw by East Fife. A draw in its final game next Saturday should be sufficient for it to win the league and secure automatic promotion.