A Medway taxi driver who tried to smuggle more than 3.6 million counterfeit cigarettes into Britain has been jailed.

Baljinder Singh, 42, hid the cigarettes - which had been imported from China behind pallets of loose slate. He was locked up for evading £925,381 in duty and VAT.

The cabbie was caught transferring cigarettes from a sea container into two vans at an industrial unit in Tilbury, Essex.

The Metropolitan Police, who were carrying out a surveillance operation, detained Singh and the cigarettes.

The case was then passed to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) for investigation before Singh was arrested and the cigarettes confiscated.

Singh, of Imperial Road, Gillingham, was found guilty in May after a six-week trial and was jailed for five years yesterday at Ipswich Crown Court.

The court heard the unit was raided by Met officers, who found the haul in May 2011.

They alerted HMRC investigators who found 3,639,800 counterfeit Regal King Size cigarettes in the back of a recently delivered container and in two vans parked outside.

Singh was arrested at the unit, and later charged with duty evasion.

Judge Holt said: "This was a sophisticated smuggling operation and you were involved well before the cigarettes arrived in the country."

He also said Singh was a senior figure in the importation and was essential to the fraud and responsible for distributing the cigarettes.

Import documents found with the haul described the goods as 26 pallets of loose slate, with a delivery address in Ipswich.

"If this illegal operation had not been stopped millions of potentially dangerous counterfeit cigarettes would have reached the UK's streets..." - Paul Barton, HMRC

Investigators found an innocent company's details had been used as a cover for the load, but instead of being delivered to Ipswich the pallets were diverted to an industrial unit in Tilbury.

Five other men who were charged in connection with the find were found not guilty.

HMRC will now pursue a confiscation order on Singh to try and money back under the Proceeds of Crime Act.

Paul Barton, assistant director of criminal investigation at HMRC, said: "If this illegal operation had not been stopped millions of potentially dangerous counterfeit cigarettes would have reached the UK's streets.

"Criminals involved in this type of crime don't care who they harm; they are only out to make a profit.

"Their illegal activity undermines honest local retailers and allows unregulated cigarettes to get into the hands of children and young people.

"You can report anyone you suspect may be selling illegal tobacco goods by calling our 24 hour customs hotline on 0800 595000."