Three men held over seizure of €1.2m illegal cigarettes

THREE million illegal cigarettes worth €1.2 million were seized yesterday in a joint operation by customs officials and gardaí.

Three males were arrested after the stash was discovered in Dublin Port on cargo from China and followed to a warehouse in Carlow. The John Player King Size branded contraband cigarettes arrived into the country last Friday in a 40-foot container which had been listed as containing toys.

Customs officers kept the container under surveillance and when the cigarettes were being offloaded in Carlow its officers, supported by gardaí, moved in.

The operation – codenamed Operation Hector – also involved the search of a private house. The three men, aged in their 20s and 30s, are being questioned at Carlow and Athy Garda stations. John Player Blue welcomed the seizure and said the find was the fifth major seizure of contraband cigarettes since the end of last year. It is understood they are being sold for half the over-the-counter price. “John Player Blue is a domestic brand only made for the Irish market so criminals are deliberately targeting Irish smokers,” said a spokeswoman.

“The bottom line is the price gap is too high and the penalties too low.”

The spokeswoman warned smokers to be wary when offered cheap John Player Bluecigarettes. “When we make all our cigarettes we have to comply with EU standards,” she said.

“These are made in underground factories in China.”