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25 September 2012 09:55
More than 7.6 million contraband cigarettes have been seized by customs officers. The haul was discovered at Dublin Port and had an estimated retail value of almost Eu3 million (£2.4 million).
The cigarettes arrived into the port yesterday from Zeebrugge in Belgium in a shipment described as "furniture".
They were discovered by Revenue officials when the consignment was examined, following routine scanning by Revenue's mobile scanner.
A Revenue spokeswoman said that an Irish-registered commercial vehicle and a trailer were also seized and the driver was interviewed. "Investigations are ongoing both nationally and internationally," she added.
Revenue said the latest seizure is part of its ongoing operations targeting the smuggling and sale of illegal cigarettes which has seen almost 81 million contraband cigarettes seized by Revenue so far this year.
