By Timothy S. Donahue
Top Takeaways:
- Director disqualified: A Glasgow businessman has been banned from serving as a company director for eight years after illegally importing raw tobacco concealed in furniture.
- Smuggling scheme uncovered: Border Force officers intercepted 835 kilograms of raw tobacco hidden in vacuum-sealed bags and tins inside furniture shipped from Bangladesh.
- Business collapses: The company was fined nearly £153,000 and later entered liquidation owing almost £175,000, most of it related to the HMRC penalty.
UK authorities continue to target illicit tobacco imports through both financial penalties and director disqualifications.
Glasgow businessman Fazle Masum, 42, has been disqualified from acting as a company director for eight years after allegedly illegally importing raw tobacco concealed in furniture, following an investigation by the Insolvency Service and Border Force.
The disqualification order was entered at Glasgow Sheriff Court on June 8 and took effect on June 29, preventing Masum from managing, forming, or promoting a company without court permission.
According to the Insolvency Service, Border Force officers intercepted a shipping container at Grangemouth in January 2022 that was addressed to Masum’s company, Unique Enterprise Ltd. Inside the container, officers found 835 kilograms of raw tobacco concealed in vacuum-sealed bags and tins hidden in furniture.
Investigators found that Masum lacked the required HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) approval to import raw tobacco into the United Kingdom. Authorities said he later applied to have the seized tobacco returned after Border Force confiscated the shipment.
HMRC subsequently issued the company a financial penalty of almost £153,000. Unique Enterprise Ltd. later entered liquidation owing approximately £175,000, with the majority of the debt stemming from the tax penalty.
Mike Smith, Chief Investigator at the Insolvency Service, said the concealment demonstrated deliberate misconduct. “Fazle Masum chose to import raw tobacco without the required approval and went to deliberate lengths to hide what he was doing. That is not conduct we expect from company directors,” he said. “Director disqualification is one of the most important tools we have to protect the public.
“By securing this order, we are making sure Masum cannot put other companies, creditors or consumers at risk in the same way.”
Border Force said the case highlights the agency’s continued focus on disrupting illicit tobacco supply chains.
“Masum’s interception highlights Border Force’s vigilance against unlicensed tobacco and cigarette smuggling,” said Christina Brown, Head of Border Force North Region. “Through intelligence-led multi-agency operations, we are seizing hundreds of millions of illegal cigarettes, disrupting organised crime and protecting legitimate businesses.”
Raw tobacco is tightly regulated in the United Kingdom because it can be used to manufacture untaxed tobacco products. Businesses importing raw tobacco must obtain prior approval from HMRC as part of the UK’s efforts to combat illicit tobacco manufacturing and to protect tobacco tax revenues.
