Customs officers seize €40m worth of illegal drugs, €27m of cigarettes this year

Gangs have moved into shifting raw tobacco instead of illicit cigarettes, officers have said

Head of customs at Dublin Port Tom Talbot said there had been a change in the cigarette trade, with organised criminal gangs shifting to raw tobacco, instead of illicit cigarettes, with 34 tonnes seized this year, compared to four tonnes last year. Picture: Colin Keegan/ Collins Dublin

Customs officers have so far this year processed more than 4m movements of British-bound traffic at Dublin and Rosslare ports post-Brexit, a 10-fold jump on last year.

Head of customs at Dublin Port Tom Talbot said, in addition, 300,000 trucks are coming from Britain into Ireland and they have set up a system which can “green light” 80%-90% of those trucks on arrival by doing the necessary checks while the ferries are sailing here.