Customs officers have cracked the biggest-ever tobacco smuggling operation through Harwich Port after seizing 16 million bootleg cigarettes.

The £1.5 million haul of cigarettes filled two lorry containers and were labelled as women's clothing. They were stopped when they arrived in Harwich on a cargo vessel from Esbjerg in Denmark.

One arrived on Saturday and the other on Tuesday.

A spokesman for Customs and Excise said: "Sixteen million cigarettes is basically two lorry containers jam packed. We have had bigger hauls of three or four containers at Felixstowe but I think this is the biggest haul we have had from Harwich.

"Obviously we are delighted to have stopped this massive tax dodge from coming into the country."

He added: "We have a number of tests and procedures and this must have shown up on at least one of these."

Five men have been arrested in Stratford-Upon-Avon in connection with the investigation.

They were taken to police stations in Oxford and were today (Friday) still being questioned by officers.

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