Revenue seize tobacco worth over €2.4 million at Dublin Port

On Wednesday (16/6/2021), as a result of routine profiling, Revenue officers seized over 4 tonnes of tobacco at Dublin Port. The smuggled tobacco was discovered concealed in boxes labelled as ‘wood briquettes’ which had originated in Germany. The tobacco has an estimated retail value of over €2.4 million representing a potential loss to the Exchequer of approximately €2 million. Investigations are ongoing.

Separately, yesterday (17/6/2021), Revenue officers were granted a three-month cash detention order by Judge John Cheatle at Gorey District Court. This followed the seizure of €19,000 cash on 16/6/21 at Rosslare Europort. The cash was discovered when, as a result of routine profiling, Revenue officers stopped and searched a car intending to board a ferry to Bilbao, Spain. The cash is suspected to be the proceeds of, or intended for use in, criminal activity and was seized by Revenue in accordance with proceeds of crime legislation. A man originally from Romania but now living in Ireland was questioned.

Also separately, as a result of intelligence led operations that took place over the course of Tuesday (15/6/2021) and Wednesday (16/6/2021), Revenue officers seized over 154,000 unstamped cigarettes and 46kgs of unstamped tobacco. The seizures were made with the assistance of detector dog Bill following the search, under warrant, of a number of premises in the Castleblayney, Carrickmacross and Clones areas of County Monaghan. The illegal cigarettes, branded ‘Minsk Capital’ and ‘NZ’ and tobacco branded ‘Turner’ had been smuggled into the State from Belgium and Italy and have a combined estimated retail value of €116,000, representing a loss to the Exchequer of over €92,000. A Lithuanian man in his 40s and a number of Latvian nationals in their 30s and 40s were interviewed in relation to these seizures.

Finally, over the course of last weekend (12 & 13/6/2021), as a result of routine profiling, Revenue officers seized 9,000 cigarettes and 21kgs of tobacco at Dublin Airport. The smuggled cigarettes, branded 'Kent' and ‘Dunhill’, were discovered in the checked baggage of a Romanian man who had disembarked a flight from Bacau, Romania while the tobacco, branded ‘Red Line CC50’ was discovered in the checked baggage of an Irish man who had disembarked a flight from Amsterdam in the Netherlands. The seized cigarettes and tobacco have a combined estimated retail value of over €19,000, representing a potential loss to the Exchequer of €15,500. Investigations are ongoing.

These seizures are part of Revenue’s ongoing operations targeting the shadow economy and the supply and sale of illegal tobacco products. If businesses or members of the public have any information regarding smuggling, they can contact Revenue in confidence on free phone number 1800 295 295.

[ENDS 17/06/2021]