SIX million cigarettes have been seized at the Port of Felixstowe.

SIX million cigarettes have been seized at the Port of Felixstowe.

The attempt to smuggle the Richman branded cigarettes was foiled by the UK Border Agency on Monday after they arrived from Ski Lanka.

A scan and examination of a shipping container revealed the cigarettes concealed behind pallets of coconuts.

Bill Form, Assistant Director for the UK Border Agency at Felixstowe, said: “This is a substantial haul of cigarettes and an excellent detection by front line officers.

“People who choose to buy their cigarettes on the black market, where this consignment was certainly headed, need to be aware that this illegal trade cheats the taxpayer and undermines honest local retailers.

“The criminals who operate in this area give no regard either to who they sell their goods, including children, or to the quality of their products.

“Counterfeit cigarettes have been known to contain all manner of unpleasant ingredients including sawdust and rat droppings.”

The cigarettes will be taken to an incinerator plant where they will be destroyed - and the energy fed straight into London's electricity supply.

Felixstowe is the largest container port in the UK and one of the largest in Europe.