Revenue spent €2.7m destroying seized nitrous oxide, alcohol, and tobacco

More than 90% of Revenue's overall bill came from dealing with the canisters of 'laughing gas' or nitrous oxide. File picture

Revenue spent nearly €2.7m last year storing and destroying nitrous oxide as well as smuggled cigarettes and booze.

More than 90% of the overall bill came from dealing with the canisters of laughing gas, a major headache for authorities in the last few years.

The cost of storage of seized nitrous oxide was €427,000 while a further €2.05m was spent on destruction of the gas.

A smaller sum of around €95,000 was paid for shredding tobacco, cigarettes, and other miscellaneous items.

Revenue also spent €113,000 to get rid of smuggled alcohol, according to figures released under FOI laws.

Their enforcement activity led to the seizure of hundreds of millions of euro worth of narcotics and other illegal products last year.

There were 19 separate seizures of nitrous oxide, nearly 35,000kg with a value of €1.28m.

Revenue reported 169 hauls of vapes containing THC or other controlled substances, which would have been worth around €66,000 if sold on the street.

Drugs and weapons 

Other seizures included 606 cases involving weapons, five litres of pepper spray, and 29 involving ammunition.

Cannabis — both herbal and resin — made up the largest proportion of seizures with 5.5 tonnes of the drug discovered.

Overall, there were more than 2,400 seizures of cannabis with a street value of almost €105m.

Discoveries of cocaine and heroin worth €73m were also logged by the Revenue Commissioners in 2025.

An incredible 16,085 seizures of amphetamines, ecstasy, and other drugs took place, according to the data.

Tobacco and cigarettes 

Revenue nabbed 46.9m cigarettes, with an estimated street value of €42.5m.

A further 23 tonnes of loose tobacco was seized along with nearly 600,000 litres of smuggled alcohol products.

This included over 461,000 litres of beer — the equivalent of more than 800,000 pints.

Almost 14,000 litres of spirits were seized along with 120,000 litres of wine.

Almost €3m in cash seized 

There were 80 separate seizures of cash, with a value of almost €3m, the Revenue said.

Counterfeit goods — in breach of intellectual property laws — were also discovered and would have been worth about €9.1m if sold to the public.

Revenue also reported two seizures of items covered by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.

This can include items such as elephant tusks, or endangered animals.

Asked about the records, a spokesperson said: “Combating the smuggling of prohibited and restricted goods is, and will continue to be, a priority to Revenue.

“Revenue will continue to use advanced analytics and a multiplicity of detection technologies while ensuring the optimum deployment of resources on a risk-focused basis.” 

The spokesperson said they also worked with national and international partners to tackle and target illicit smuggling.