Record haul sees smuggled tobacco seizures surge 70%

CUSTOMS officers seized €95.8 million worth of smuggled tobacco last year – up almost 70% on 2008, it emerged last night.

The bulk of the massive rise was down to Europe’s largest-ever seizure of cigarettes in October – more than 120 million valued at €50m – from a vessel docked at Greenore Port in Co Louth.

The record haul involved 80,000 Palace and Chelsea cigarettes stuffed into 1,489 animal feed bags in a vessel that sailed to Ireland from the Philippines.