Bulgarian men in court after seizure of illicit cigarettes at Belfast Port

Georgi Dimitrov, 42, and Atanas Kolev, 41, were arrested after the haul of tobacco was discovered in a lorry stopped last Friday.

The pair are jointly charged with being concerned in the fraudulent evasion of estimated tax duty in excess of £350,000 and possessing a concealed hide for use in fraud.

Belfast Magistrates’ Court heard Border Force officers searched their lorry at the docks amid suspicions that it contained some type of illegal products.

Examinations of a hidden compartment in the trailer unit revealed a total of 616,780 cigarettes in a brand not sold in the United Kingdom.

An HM Revenue & Customs officer said the unpaid duty on the haul has been calculated at £354,648.

The lorry, which travelled through Europe from Bulgaria, had earlier delivered an unidentified load in the Republic of Ireland before crossing the border and heading to Belfast.

The two defendants, whose addresses were not disclosed, were then due to board a ferry to Cairnryan and then make their way to Rotterdam.

“HMRC believes the illicit goods contained within that trailer were bound for the UK mainland, probably England which has seen a hike in this specific brand of cigarettes being sold,” the officer said.

During interviews both Dimitrov and Kolev insisted they knew nothing about the concealment.

Bail was opposed amid claims they have no connections to the jurisdiction and could flee.

A solicitor for the two men argued that they provided clear accounts of their journey, which included making a delivery in Naas, Co Kildare.

“They did not have any involvement with the loading or unloading of the trailer at any point, they were simply drivers of the lorry,” she argued.

However, District Judge George Conner refused bail to both accused and remanded them in custody until June 23.

He stated: “I’m afraid I share the concerns of the excise officer, there is too high a risk of flight from this jurisdiction.”