Seven million cigarettes that had been smuggled into the UK have been seized from a farm in South Staffordshire, it was revealed today.

In a major customs operation, thought to be one of the biggest in the West Midlands in recent years, officers raided a farm in Coven as part of a swoop that also involved Staffordshire Police. They disrupted the racket, uncovering a farm unit and a Sprinter van containing numerous pallets stacked high with boxes of Regal King Size cigarettes.

A man in his early 30s from Willenhall was arrested and the van was also seized. Today officials have revealed the revenue loss to the public purse would have been more than £1.5 million.

The raid was one of a number that took place on Thursday and involved a number of officers from HM revenue and customs. Staffordshire Police was there in a support role.

Customs officials said today the location of the farm cannot be revealed but investigations into the case are still ongoing. The cigarettes recovered will now be incinerated and turned into power pellets for the National Grid.

Keith Morgan, inland detection manager for HM Revenue & Customs, said: “This operation was part of our continuing efforts to disrupt tobacco smuggling and reduce the availability of cheap, and often counterfeit, cigarettes from local streets in the region.

“The proceeds from cigarette smuggling are often used to fund serious and organised crime such as drug smuggling. The illicit cigarette trade breeds contempt for the law by encouraging otherwise honest people to trade with criminals.”

Yesterday, the Express & Star told how more than 6,400 cigarettes that had also been smuggled into the country were recovered from shops in Walsall and Wolverhampton as part of an operation aimed at ensuring retailers were operating within the law.

Eighteen shops were visited and officials made seizures of cigarettes and 1.5 kilos of hand-rolling tobacco. No arrests have been made and inquiries into the supply chain are ongoing.