Cash and tobacco are seized

Customs officers have seized €500,000 in cash from an Irishman who was about to get on a flight to Brussels and, in unconnected operations, contraband tobacco worth more than €80,000 was seized in Cork and Dundalk.

The man was detained at Dublin Airport yesterday as part of an operation focussing on money-laundering.

The Revenue Commissioners said it would not release any more information at this time because the investigation is still ongoing.

Meanwhile, in seperate operations Customs officers seized more than 111,000 cigarettes and 67.5kg of unstamped rolling tobacco in Cork and Dundalk.

The contraband, with a retail value of approximately €86,400, was seized on Thursday in Cork and Dundalk.

Officers carried out searches, of premises in Cork City and Dundalk and seized the unstamped ‘Excellence’ and ‘777’ brand cigarettes along with the unstamped ‘Flandria’ tobacco.

Two Irish men, one in his 50s and one in his 60s, were questioned.