A man and woman have been arrested in Formby as part of a money laundering and fraud probe

HM Revenue and Customs operation linked to export of cars from UK to Ireland

A 48-year-old man and a 43-year-old woman have been arrested in Formby and a 44-year-old man was arrested in Huyton linked with VAT and money laundering.

A major investigation into a suspected £5.5 million VAT and money laundering fraud led to the arrest of three people in Formby and Huyton.

A 48-year-old man and a 43-year-old woman were arrested in Formby and a 44-year-old man was arrested in Huyton as part of the HM Revenue and Customs probe linked to the export of cars from the UK to Ireland.

A 65-year-old man in Birmingham and a 43-year-old woman in County Armagh were also arrested.

Addresses in Formby, Huyton, Birmingham and County Armagh were also searched and 949,000 cigarettes were seized along with computers, mobile phones and paperwork.

Sandra Smith, assistant director, Fraud Investigation Service, HMRC, said: “HMRC takes tax fraud extremely seriously and anyone deliberately choosing to evade the taxes they owe should expect not only a heavy fine, but possibly a criminal prosecution as well.

“Anyone with information about people who may be involved in tax fraud can contact the Tax Evasion Hotline on 0800 788 887.”