Four arrested at Dublin Airport for Cigarette smuggling
In an anti-cigarette smuggling operation officers from Revenue's Customs Service at Dublin Airport, yesterday (14/11/2011), seized 53,860 cigarettes, with an estimated retail value of €22,890 and a potential loss to the Exchequer of €20,450.
Four Polish nationals, a female and three males, had arrived on a flight from London, having previously travelled from Lvov in the Ukraine via Munich, when the 'West' brand cigarettes were discovered in their suitcases.
A 43 year-old female and three males aged 54, 61 and 46 were arrested and appeared before Judge Denis McLoughlin in Dublin District Court, this morning, where they were remanded in custody for a week.
This brings to five the number of people arrested for cigarette smuggling at Dublin Airport in the last week. Last Wednesday (09/11/2011) a 23-year-old Romanian man, who had arrived from Moldova, was arrested when officers discovered 13,000 cigarettes in his baggage. He appeared in the Dublin District Court and was remanded in custody to appear again tomorrow, 16/11/2011.
Over 17 million cigarettes, with an estimated retail value of over €7.2m, and a loss to the exchequer of €6.45m, have been seized by Customs at Dublin Airport to-date in 2011.
If businesses or members of the public have any information regarding the smuggling or sale of illegal cigarettes, they can contact Revenue in confidence on Free Phone Number 1800 295 295.
[Ends: 15/11/2011]