The smuggling ring, six men from the West Midlands and Gloucestershire, organised shipments of cigarettes from the Far East.

The group had all pleaded guilty to the scam at a previous hearing.

The offences took place between January and August 2003. The gang were jailed for between three years, 11 months and 21 months.

Passing sentence Judge Carol Hagen said: "Those who deliberately set out to defraud Customs and Excise in this way must know that they will go to prison. In each and every case it has to be a prison sentence."

Andrew Smith, 36, from Gloucester, who was described as being "deeply involved" was jailed for three years and eight months for his part in the conspiracy.

He was sentenced to a further six months to run consecutively for his involvement in another cigarette smuggling plot.

George Grassick, 46, of Kings Norton, Birmingham, was sentenced to three years, 11 months. Steve White, 35, of Coseley, Wolverhampton, was jailed for six months and Mark Gill, 42, of Warstock, Birmingham, for 15 months.

Michael Morris, 47, from Gloucester, was sentenced to nine months for conspiracy and a further 12 months to run consecutively for money laundering.

Andrew Middlecote, 32, from Cinderford, Gloucestershire, was jailed for two years imprisonment.