Hardcore porn material uncovered in major haul

A MAJOR distribution centre for extreme hardcore pornography destined for retail in the Munster area has been uncovered.

The discovery was made after custom officers stumbled across a small amount of similar material at Cork Airport.

More than 15,000 videos, DVDs and magazines were discovered following a raid on a large lock-up warehouse in east Co Cork earlier this week.

The estimated retail value of the items seized is 500,000, one of the largest ever hauls of such material found on a single premises in the State.

No arrests were made following the raid but the investigation is continuing and criminal charges may be brought against those involved in the importation and distribution of the pornography. A file is expected to be sent to the DPP.

Follow up searches have also been carried out at a number of premises in the Cork area.

Samples from the haul of 10,000 videos, 2,400 DVDs and 3,600 publications will be viewed by officials from the censor’s office to decide whether the material is illegal.

But revenue officials, who are charged with stopping the importation of illegal pornography and work off a list of banned titles and types, have no doubt it is illegal. The titles alone reveal the videos and DVDs to be of the most extreme nature, including ones involving beastiality.

Investigators raided the warehouse following an operation that began with the discovery of a pallet of items passing through cargo at Cork Airport on Tuesday.

Much of the material from the warehouse is believed to have come from Germany.

A revenue spokesman said the package was intercepted by officers using ‘risk profiling’.

A team of 10 investigators were involved in the follow up operation.