Around three million cigarettes were seized among a load of tomatoes as they were being transported by lorry to Britain from Spain, it was disclosed today.
Customs officers at Newhaven ferry port in Newhaven stopped the lorry as it disembarked from a ferry from Dieppe on Saturday.
A search uncovered 26 pallets in the trailer, of which 16 contained tomatoes and 10 contained cigarettes, a spokesman for Revenue and Customs said.
Revenue totalling about £360,000 would have been lost if the cigarettes had reached the open market.
The Customs spokesman said the lorry had arrived from Madrid. The 28-year-old British driver of the lorry, from Leicestershire, was arrested and bailed pending further inquiries.
Georgina Myles, HM Revenue and Customs spokeswoman, said: "Customs take a very serious view of cigarette and tobacco smuggling.
"It is not a harmless tax fiddle.
"This type of activity harms honest businesses and costs the UK billions of pounds in lost revenue that ends up lining the pockets of criminals instead of funding vital public services."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article