CAROLINE Bird was pushing 60, heavily in debt and on benefit as unable to work - but made regular trips to the Middle East as a major tobacco smuggler.

Croydon Crown Court heard how Bird, of Caswell Crescent, Leominster, brought 105,000 cigarettes and six kilos of hand-rolled tobacco into the country illegally between 2003-2006.

The 58-year-old admitted five charges of unlawful importation and was given a nine-month prison sentence suspended for two years. She may also have to hand back money she made from her smuggling, which she took up to ease her debts.

The court heard how Bird continually ignored formal warnings from Customs about smuggling cigarettes into the country and went on just the same, using different airports and names.

Hannah Willcocks, prosecuting, said Bird was first busted in October 2003 and given a warning. Ten days later she was intercepted at Heathrow after returning from Dubai.

"She said she was not carrying any cigarettes but her suitcase was searched and found to be full of them," said Miss Willcocks.

A second case and a blue holdall were also checked. They, too, were stuffed with cigarettes and tobacco.

Bird was given another warning, only to be caught at Heathrow again on February 18 last year with 27,500 cigarettes.

Her next arrival from Dubai was on May 16 that year at Stanstead, when 17,600 cigarettes were seized from her luggage. She told Customs she thought she was entitled to bring them into the UK.

Two months later she was caught at Heathrow again with 28,000 cigarettes and said she did not know they were in her cases.

Each time Bird received formal warnings from customs. The warnings stopped when, in April this year, she was stopped at Gatwick with 29,600 cigarettes and some tobacco stuffed into two cases.

Matthew Banham, defending, said Bird, on benefit, in poor health and unable to work, saw cigarette smuggling as a way to ease her heavy debts. She thought what she was doing "wasn't serious".

Passing sentence, Judge Charles Atkins told Bird, who has a previous conviction for theft as an employee, that it was perfectly plain that she knew what she was doing was wrong but continued to commit "serious offences of dishonesty" using different names and telling lies to Customs.

Bird's finances and lifestyle are now being examined by criminal assets investigators. A confiscation hearing next year will rule on how much money she will have to hand back as the proceeds of her crimes.

After the case, a Customs spokesperson said officers were amazed at how Bird packed so many cigarettes and so much tobacco into her luggage. Her profile was far from that of a "usual suspect".

On her regular trips to the Middle East, Bird brought back popular brands. Customs would not comment on where the cigarettes and tobacco were going. In total, the revenue due was nearly £28,000.