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News
Jail for vodka fraudsters
Three men have been given jail sentences for running a major illegal alcohol operation in Birmingham city centre.
The illegal Arctic Ice brand
“Operation Red Squirrel” saw the UK’s HM Revenue & Customs officers carry out a raid on premises in Brewery St in July 2011, less than a week after five men were killed in an explosion at an illegal vodka distillery in Lincolnshire.
Describing their discovery of a “substantial bottling, production and distribution plant,” Adrian Farley, assistant director of criminal investigation for HMRC, said: “It was capable of making and distributing large quantities of counterfeit vodka throughout the country, with the potential of costing the UK taxpayer nearly £500,000 in lost revenue.”
The raid uncovered over 2,500 litres of counterfeit vodka, branded as “Arctic Ice”; several 1,000 litre plastic industrial bulk containers, three of which contained industrial alcohol at 96%; 67,500 bottle caps, 8,400 empty 70cl glass bottles, a labelling machine and other “paraphernalia relating to the production of illegal alcohol.”
In addition to charging the defendants with failing to create a safe environment, despite the risk of an explosion in a densely populated area, Farley highlighted the health risks for anyone drinking the vodka.
“They were fully aware that the counterfeit vodka, which contained dangerous levels of methanol, was unfit to drink,” he remarked of the criminal gang, adding: “They duped the public into buying what they believed were legitimate goods when in fact the counterfeit vodka could have killed them.”
Michael Woodlock, Gavin Berrow and Alex Dean Rollason all pleaded guilty to charges of Fraudulent Evasion of Duty Contrary to the Customs and Excise Management Act 1979. While Woodlock was given 12 months in jail, the other two men were awarded suspended sentences and 200 hours of unpaid community service.
A wider joint investigation with authorities across the West Midlands saw Trading Standards officers seize bottles of Arctic Ice from a number of independent shops in Birmingham, Hereford, Shropshire, Staffordshire and Worcester. This has resulted in a number of separate prosecutions.