Sock manufacturer Arif Patel, 61, formerly of Preston, Lancashire, and now living in Dubai having evaded prison, and his criminal gang tried to steal £97m through VAT repayment claims on false exports of textiles and mobile phones.

And for years they succeeded until HMRC stopped the fraudulent claims, preventing about two thirds of the VAT fraud.

Even though HMRC managed to stop two thirds of the fake VAT claims back in the 2010s, the gang still managed to steal £33m from the tax authority and the public by faking VAT transactions. They also imported and sold counterfeit clothes that would have been worth at least £50m, had they been genuine. 

Now the full force of the law is coming to bear with massive confiscation orders against the gang leader and his financial enabler.