Bogus booze warning as Revenue loses €50m

THE State is losing around €50 million every year through the illicit trade in alcohol, according to official estimates.

In the final run up to the party season, Revenue officers yesterday warned people against buying alcohol in suspect places, as their money was funding an illegal trade, run by both organised and opportunistic criminals.

“The current estimate is that the loss to the Exchequer resulting from smuggled alcohol is in the order of about 5%,” Revenue’s Investigation Bureau manager Ursula O’Neill said.