Brighton man among 16 people charged with stealing cigarettes worth £2.4m

A 61-year-old Brighton man is among 16 to have been charged with stealing cigarettes worth £2.4 million.

William Ayling, of Mayo Road, Brighton, faces his first appearance in court in Crawley next month.

Sussex Police said yesterday (Saturday 4 April): “Detectives have charged 16 people with plotting to steal millions of pounds worth of cigarettes from their company at Gatwick Airport.

“The 15 men and one woman have been charged jointly with stealing duty free cigarettes worth a total of £2,432,665 from Gate Gourmet, a business that supplies airlines at the airport.

“They have been charged with conspiracy to steal from their employer and money laundering. They have all been released on bail to appear at Crawley Magistrates’ Court on (Wednesday) 6 May.

“The charges follow a long-running investigation by Sussex Police into the large-scale theft of duty-free items at Gatwick.

“The operation was run with the support of Gate Gourmet, which alerted Sussex Police to the issue after discovering irregularities with its stock.

“Suspects were arrested in a series of raids in July 2013.”

Two other people are still on bail as part of the investigation.