Entrepreneur David West, who made his fortune from booze cruises with his Eastenders liquor and tobacco operation in Calais has been found murdered.
 

 

Police have charged his 44-year old son [named David West junior] with his murder after 70-year old West senior’s body was discovered at his £2.5m ($3.9m) Ormond Yard home.

 

The younger West is now due to appear at Westminster Magistrates this week where he will be formally charged with murdering his father after they were said to have rowed.

 

For his part, David West Senior ran one of the most successful forerunner ‘booze cruise’ warehouse/pick operations in Calais and he was literally known as the ‘king of the booze cruise’.

 

WEST SENIOR WAS A MULTIMILLIONAIRE

He made millions from selling cheap wine and tobacco to coach loads of British day-trippers and was one of the first traders to operate 24 hours a day and seven days a week.

 

At its peak in the late nineties, the total business combining all of the different warehouse operations in Calais was estimated to be worth around £4bn ($6.3bn) in lost revenues to the UK exchequer.

 

Some dedicated readers with long memories may remember that West featured in a number of articles and interviews on the Calais warehouse trade in TRBusiness back in the nineties, before winding the operation up and investing his money in several London clubs and restaurants.  At that time his personal fortune was estimated at around £100m ($157m).

 

At the same TRB followers may also recall that West also employed the services of one Cherie Blair the barrister in 2007 to try to fight the UK smoking ban in public places supported by her husband, Tony the [then] Prime Minister (See top image).