A PORT Glasgow woman has been charged with trying to defraud the Queen as part of an alleged serious organised crime operation.

Marta Kosciuk is accused of knowingly concealing more than a tonne of tobacco with intent to withhold nearly £400,000 of payable duty.

An indictment charge against Kosciuk, 36, claims that she did this 'with intent to defraud Her Majesty of the duty payable on the goods'.

Kosciuk, of Gourock Ropeworks on the Port's Bay Street, is said to have acted with a number of people whose identities are meantime unknown in the alleged scam.

Prosecutors say that she was knowingly concerned in the carrying, removing, depositing, harbouring, keeping or concealing, 'or in any manner dealing with goods which were chargeable with a duty'.

The charge against her claims that duty totalling £391,020, or thereby, had not been paid on a consignment of 1.029 tonnes of hand rolling tobacco.

Kosciuk is said to have committed the alleged offence at a flat other than her current address at Gourock Ropeworks, as well as at a 'Contain It' self storage unit on Jessie Street in Glasgow and 'elsewhere in the UK'.

She is accused of being involved in the claimed criminal operation between May 30 and June 15 in 2019.

The Crown claims that Kosciuk breached the Customs and Excise Management Act 1979.

A further line on the indictment against her claims that the alleged offence 'was aggravated by a connection with serious organised crime'.

Kosciuk appeared at Greenock Sheriff Court to plead not guilty to the charge.

She is due to stand trial before a sheriff and jury later this year.