Three people have pleaded guilty to smuggling thousands of cigarettes through Teesside Airport on a holiday flight.

Teesside Crown Court heard Customs officers were alerted when 10 suitcases were left uncollected at Newcastle Airport.

The cases were discovered on the luggage carousel after a flight arrived from Gran Canaria on 2 January 2002.

They arrested a woman and two men from Newcastle who have now pleaded guilty to being knowingly concerned in the fraudulent evasion of duty on 139,000 cigarettes.

The court hearing on Wednesday was told the contraband had a value of �18,000.

Helen Wilson, 35, and David Pilcher, 33, from Peppercorn Court , The Quayside, and Leslie Wilson, 45, from Kirkwood Drive, all Newcastle, were remanded on bail for pre-sentence reports.

They will be sentenced in three weeks.