Customs seize 4.2m cigarettes in Cork

CUSTOMS officers seized 4.2 million cigarettes last night in the largest counterfeit haul ever landed in the Port of Cork.

John Player Blue cigarettes were found among a cargo of Chinese-manufactured swimwear which arrived at Tivoli docks in a container.

A routine operation by customs officers at the docks uncovered the illegal cigarettes, which would have cost the Revenue an estimated €1.2 million in lost taxes.

Customs officers said the cigarettes would have been sold on the Irish market for €4.50 to €5 a packet. Sources said they would have cost only a couple of cents each to produce.

It is believed some contraband cigarettes are manufactured in “non-controlled” environments where they risk being contaminated with rats’ urine, human faeces or carcinogenic chemicals.

Two weeks ago 860,000 cigarettes and a huge quantity of tobacco were seized in a joint customs/garda operation in Carrignavar.