MORE than 260,000 pints of bootleg beer has been nabbed at a Scots port — amid alarm over a surge in black market booze.
Campaigners claim the seizures prove the SNP Government’s minimum unit pricing policy for alcohol is failing.
2
Last night HMRC confirmed 135,550 cans of high-strength lager was grabbed at the Cairnryan terminal, near Stranraer.
But they admitted they had not tracked down the smugglers behind the operation.
We told earlier this month how customs officers and cops recovered another 132,000 pints of beer after a swoop on the P&O hub.
It’s understood the cargo was taken from Europe on HGV trucks then travelled through Ireland to Larne, Co Antrim, before making its way to Scotland by ferry.
Anne Marie Ward, of campaign group Faces and Voices of Recovery, said: “These seizure attest to the failure of minimum unit pricing. It has led to a black market that is supplying the potent alcohol preferred by problematic drinkers.
“This indicates a misguided understanding of the issue by policymakers.”
The minimum price of alcohol is set to soar by 30 per cent under Scottish Government plans.
If MSPs agree, alcohol will become more expensive from September 30.
Most read in The Scottish Sun
A Scottish Government spokesman said: “Research by renowned public health experts estimates that our MUP policy has saved hundreds of lives.”
