Seven men who conspired to flood the UK with almost nine million illegal cigarettes have been jailed following an investigation by HMRC.

Coventry-based Miqdad Salih headed up the UK arm of the criminal operation and along with Goran Ahmed and Khalid Hareem distributed millions of cigarettes across the Midlands. Co-conspirators Ezzat Hamasleh, Milian Matei and Dmitrijs Smirnovs smuggled millions of cigarettes from Poland, Latvia and Romania for sale in the UK.

The seventh defendant, Ezzat Hamasleh, helped to launder the profits from the gang's criminal activities, which together evaded around £1.5m in unpaid duty and VAT.

The seven were sentenced for between two and seven years on 21 December 2012 at Birmingham Crown Court.

John Pointing, assistant director of criminal investigation at HMRC, said:'These men set out to make vast amounts of money at the expense of legitimate retailers by ripping-off unsuspecting smokers and the taxpayer. 'They were out to line their own pockets in the belief they wouldn't get caught. However, they are now paying the price for their criminal activity with the loss of their freedom. This will serve as a firm warning to others involved in tobacco smuggling - you will be caught.'

The Marlboro, Superkings, Regal, Sovereign, L&M's and Jin Ling cigarettes - which were either counterfeit or had no legitimate UK market - were seized by HMRC criminal investigators in 2009 during raids at nine locations across the Midlands, Kent and Lincolnshire.