Customs Seize 7 million Cigarettes
As part of a multi-agency operation, Officers from Revenue's Customs Service today (22/06/2011) seized approximately 7 million cigarettes at a commercial premises in Baldonnell Business Park, Dublin, as they were being offloaded from a 40 foot LO/LO container.
The cigarettes, 'BusinessMan' brand illicit whites with a retail value of €2.9m and potential loss to the Exchequer of €2.3m, arrived into Belfast port on 20/06/2011 having been shipped from Malaysia and were declared to HMRC as 'wooden flooring', before being transported to Dublin.
A Joint Investigation Team led by Revenue's Customs Service and HMRC Northern Ireland, had been established to lead the operation that also involved officers from the PSNI, the UK Border Agency, the Serious Organised Crime Agency in Northern Ireland and An Garda Síochána.
Three Irish males, one in his forties and two in their twenties were arrested at the premises and are currently being held for questioning.
To date in 2011, approximately 62m cigarettes with a retail value of €26m and a potential loss to the exchequer of €20.7m have been seized by Customs.
[Ends 22/06/11]