Two held in RIRA smuggling probe

SPANISH police arrested two suspected members of the Real IRA in the southern city of Malaga for allegedly attempting to smuggle 500,000 packets of cigarettes to Britain.

Both men were being held on suspicion of attempting to smuggle tobacco after police swooped on two trucks carrying the cigarettes.

Authorities said they had conducted a two-year investigation before arresting the men, one from Dublin, and one from Lisburn.

During the investigation, police determined that several people from the North had taken up residence on Spain’s south coast and were suspected of “collaborating directly” with armed groups linked to the Real IRA.

Police investigators believe the money raised by selling cigarettes smuggled from Spain to Britain — where tax on tobacco makes them considerably more expensive — could have been used to finance activities linked to suspected terrorism, the Spanish Interior Ministry said yesterday.

One truck was loaded with 250,000 packets of cigarettes and the other contained 248,000 packets. The total value of the haul was estimated by Spanish police to be over €997,000.

An average pack of 20 cigarettes in Spain can cost about €3, compared to about €6.40 here, or £5 (€7.30) in Britain.

Both suspects were taken to a police station in Madrid for further questioning.