Raid on illegal Greenock alcohol distillery finds 400 litres of suspected counterfeit vodka

A raid on an illegal Greenock alcohol distillery found 400 litres of suspected counterfeit vodka

HMRC officers searched a unit on an industrial estate in the town on Tuesday, where they discovered more than 400 litres of suspected counterfeit vodka, multiple pallets of empty 70cl bottles and two stills – equipment used in the distillation process.

The operation, assisted by Police Scotland, also uncovered several plastic intermediate bulk containers (IBCs) containing around 12,000 litres of suspected industrial spirit.

Joe Hendry, Assistant Director, Fraud Investigation Service, HMRC, said: “HMRC and our partners will not tolerate the sale of illegal alcohol. Drinking counterfeit alcohol can be a huge risk to health and even cause death.

“Disrupting criminal trade is at the heart of our strategy to clamp down on the illicit alcohol market which costs the UK around £1 billion per year. This is theft from the taxpayer and undermines legitimate traders.”

Investigations are continuing and no arrests have been made.

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