Millions of contraband cigarettes seized in Dublin

Customs officers have today seized nine million contraband cigarettes at Dublin Port.

The Raquel brand cigarettes were found concealed in a 45ft container that had arrived from Belgium.

The container was supposed to contain household goods and was destined for a fictitious company in Co Monaghan.

The cigarettes, which have a retail value of around €3.1m, were detected following an x-ray.

Customs say the consignment represented a potential loss to the Irish Exchequer of €2.5m.