Gang made a packet on duty-free cigarettes in boarding pass scam

Michael Pitt, from Islington, was the ringleader of the gang, who passed through boarding gates and security at Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted and Luton using fake boarding cards or one-way open tickets.

Once through, they stocked up on thousands of cigarettes at a time to sell on the black market in pubs and at car boot sales, often filling entire suitcases with popular brands. The total duty evaded between February 2009 and May last year was nearly £546,000.

After making their duty-free purchases, Pitt and his accomplices Kevin McGee, 28, and Mike Ewens, 38, both from Holloway, would leave through the domestic arrivals channel, or travel to another UK airport to buy more.

Boarding cards were forged to make it look as though they were going outside the EU so they had a higher duty-free allowance.

HM Revenue and Customs, which released pictures of the gang today, was alerted to their activities by the UK Border Agency.

During a three-month surveillance operation last year, two other men - John Cooper, 57, and Kenneth Chapman, 68, both from Essex - were seen leaving Pitt's house, apparently with bags full of cigarettes. Tracey Smith, a sales assistant at Manchester airport, was an "inside woman", selling Lucky Strike cigarettes to the gang, Hove Trial Centre heard.

All were charged with duty evasion. Pitt, 47, admitted the charge, and also fraud over the production and supply of the counterfeit boarding cards. He was jailed for five years.

McGee, who pleaded guilty, and Cooper, who denied the charge, each got 12 months. Ewens and Chapman pleaded guilty and each got a 12-month jail sentence, suspended for two years. Smith, who denied the charge, got 12 months.

After the case, Martin Brown, assistant director of criminal investigation for HMRC, said: "The effect of this type of criminal activity on legitimate retailers can be devastating and billions of pounds are lost in duty each year, money which should be available for public services."