Licensees could face seven years in prison over duty stamps

Licensees could face up to seven years in prison if they handle products that haven't had the excise duty paid on them.

The warning comes from Customs & Excise (C&E) following the recent theft of £40,000-worth of Sebor Absinth and Prava Slivovice plum brandy from a hijacked truck bound for London City Bond.

As the product never made it into the bond ­ an official holding facility for bottles that, although duty-stamped, have not yet had the duty paid on them ­ it means the excise duty will not be paid, leaving any buyer open to punishment.

A spokesman for C&E said: "If it can be proved that you knowingly bought and sold a product which had been stolen then you face up to seven years in prison. And then there is the situation with the unpaid duty, which will land you with a fine."

The spokesman added that the way to avoid this was simply to buy your spirits through the normal channels.

"Always buy from a reputable source," he said. "If a lorry rolls up outside your pub offering you stock then you should obviously be wary. Always ask for the relevant paperwork."

Jeremy Hill, managing director of Hi-Spirits, which imports and distributes Sebor and Prava in the UK, said 300 cases ­ which is close to 2,000 bottles ­ of Sebor and one case of Prava were taken by the thieves.

"We were told that the truck driver was on his way into the bond when a man in a suit came out and said the product needed to go to another warehouse.

"The lorry was taken there and the driver's paperwork was stamped, so he assumed everything was above board. It was only when the bond phoned us and asked why our product had not arrived that we realised something was up," said Hill.

"Any Sebor Absinth being offered outside the usual channels is to be viewed with suspicion," he added.