Diplomats were among seven people jailed yesterday for selling 26 tonnes of tobacco on the black market.

The sale of the vast quantities of hand rolling tobacco accounted for nearly £4.8m in lost revenue according to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) who investigated the gang.

Seven people including four diplomats at the Gambian Embassy have been jailed for a total of 33 years after establishing a sophisticated network to dodge tax and duty.

Men who lived in Colliers Wood and Croydon are among those behind bars.

The group, who all worked at the Gambian Diplomatic Mission in London, abused their diplomatic privileges by purchasing large quantities of tobacco tax-free from specialist duty free sales companies International Diplomatic Supplies and Chacalli De Decker.

The group then sold the tobacco on the black market at a profit to members of the Gambian community in London.

The HMRC investigation team found the fraud had taken place for a number of years and the investigation focused on sales and purchases between 2009 and 2012.

Embassy rules allow diplomats to legitimately buy tobacco withoiut paying excise Duty and VAT for personal use, but they are not allowed to sell it on.

Martin Brown, the assistant director of the criminal investigation department for HMRC, said: "Diplomats are allowed duty free goods for their personal use but the systems works on trust.

These individuals abused that trust by selling vast amounts of hand rolling tobacco on the black market, thinking they were beyond the reach of the law - they were wrong.

"Investigators found an established supply network for the tobacco had been built up over a number of years.

"Excise evasion is a serious offence and, as this case shows, HMRC will not hesitate to take action where we find evidence of fraud."

Hasaintu Noah, 60, of North Road, Colliers Wood and Audrey Leeward, 49, of Priory Road, Croydon, were both found guilty of conspiracy to cheat the public revenue and jailed for three years.

Four other men and a woman aged between 30 and 54 years old were jailed for between three and seven years at Southwark Crown Court for conspiracy to cheat the public revenue.

One man was additionally found guilty of dealing/harbouring/concealing/carrying dutiable goods.

They had denied all the charges against them.