Customs officers have seized 88,000 cigarettes and 69kg of roll your own tobacco in Dublin’s north inner city.

Reduced income as a result of the recession and high levels of government duty on a 20-pack of cigarettes is driving tobacco smuggling, according to manufacturers.

Nearly €100,000 worth of cigarettes were seized by customs officers supported by armed gardaí when they stopped a Ford Transit van on the outskirts of Cork City yesterday morning.

Imperial Tobacco marked its tenth year as a public company today by reporting an 8% rise in full-year profits to £1.17bn (€1.7bn).

IRISH customs officers have issued a Europe-wide alert following the seizure of five tonnes of illicit roll-your-own tobacco hidden in a container in Cork, the largest haul of its type in the history of the State.