Customs seize €4.8m contraband cigarette hauls

Customs officials were tonight counting more than 12 million smuggled cigarettes seized in two massive hauls.

The tobacco, which had a street value of €4.8m, was discovered in separate loads at Dublin Port.

Half of the cigarettes had been labelled as hair extensions and arrived from Barcelona packed on to 25 pallets.

The Regal brand haul was trailed for seven days before a driver with the container was stopped at a checkpoint at the M1 Dundalk South turn-off last night.

An Irish man detained at the scene was later released and is said to be helping customs with their investigations.

Ciaran Moulton, Dublin Port customs official, said enquiries were ongoing.

“But based on the fact that the container was heading towards the border and the brand is more common in Northern Ireland and the UK, we believe it was destined for the UK market,” he said.

Another massive load of six million contraband Souvenir branded cigarettes were seized on Saturday.

The haul, which arrived from Vietnam, was concealed behind a cover load of wooden furniture.

“The operation involved lengthy surveillance and investigations by Customs in addition to support by An Garda Siochana based at Dundalk,” said a spokeswoman.

“Several persons have been interviewed and investigations are ongoing both nationally and internationally.”

The seizures follow the discovery of a massive eight tonnes of tobacco leaf - ready to be rolled into 12 million cigarettes – after customs tailed a lorry from the port to a warehouse in Monaghan last Tuesday,

“We’ve had a very busy week but a very good week,” Mr Moulton added.

“It’s unusual to get three containers back-to-back.

“We have invested very heavily in profiling down here over the last couple of years looking at freight movements all the time and we also have two X-ray scanners operating.”

William Hanley, spokesman for Retailers Against Smuggling, called for authorities to ensure prosecutions follow major seizures.

“The Irish Government needs to radically change the legislation that is in place at the minute,” he said.

“We are still being seen as the soft touch by international criminals and until the Government start to hand out appropriate sentences then Ireland is going to continue to be a target for the illegal cigarette trade.

“Customs are doing a fantastic job but more needs to be done by Government.”