300,000 cigarettes seized in Wexford

Customs officials today seized a ship after it docked in New Ross, Co Wexford, with a smuggled consignment of 300,000 cigarettes.

The haul was uncovered in a search of the vessel, which had arrived in Ireland with a cargo of coal from Gdansk, Poland.

The potential loss to the exchequer from the cigarettes was more than €30,000.

A spokesman for the customs services said the ship, valued at around €10m had been seized as part of the operation and its captain and crew were being questioned.