North: Millions of contraband cigarettes seized

Police recovered 15 million contraband cigarettes in north Armagh following a probe into dissident republican crime, it was revealed today.

The haul, which could have cost the Exchequer around £2.5m (€3.65m), was seized yesterday during a planned swoop.

Three men are still being questioned in connection with the raids, which were carried out by the PSNI’s Organised Crime Branch and officials from Revenue and Customs were involved in the raids.

Detective Chief Superintendent Phil Aitken said: “Investigations and seizures of this kind have a real impact on the criminal organisations concerned.

“This is the latest in a series of successes which are designed to break up these criminal gangs and prevent them from making substantial profits through their illegal sales of cigarettes or other commodities.”