SMUGGLERS were caught in a specially adapted car bringing 117,000 cigarettes through Harwich International Port.

The pair, who had already made three successful trips, were trying to fraudulently evade £30,000 of duty payments when they were caught.

Dariusz Kierencew was jailed for ten months after admitting the charge.

Ewa Holdynska, the passenger, pretended she knew nothing about the cigarettes which surrounded her.

The jury, at Chelmsford Crown Court, did not believe her and she was jailed yesterday for 15 months having denied it.

Judge Patricia Lynch QC said she was only sentencing them for the latest trip as it was the only one they were charged with.

Holdynska, 44, of Stirling Street, Doncaster, bought the cigarettes.

Taxi driver Kierencew, 50, of Suwatki, Poland, drove and adapted the car they were caught in on September 18.

Judge Lynch QC, sentencing at Chelmsford Crown Court on Thursday, said: “You brought a vast amount of cigarettes into the country avoiding duty to the tune of £30,000 in a vehicle specially adapted to stash the most cigarettes you could.

“In my view you are equally responsible.

“Kierencew you modified the car and stashed or packed the cigarettes inside it.

“And you Holdynska, by virtue of the receipts found related to the Marlboro Gold and certain text messages were the cigarette smuggler based in Doncaster.”

The court heard Holdynska, a mother-of-two was previously of good character and had not seen her 12-year-old son in Poland since being arrested.

Kierencew, a grandfather, was also a man of good character previously and had been living with his son in England at the time of the offence.

Judge Lynch QC added: “I am firmly of the view both of you knew what was going on.

“Had it been a success you would have made a vast amount of money on these cigarettes.

“I am sentencing you for the one importation only.

“I know there were three other occasions.”