The Customs and Excise Service last year seized drugs with a street value of more than €60.6 million, an increase of more than 500 per cent on the previous year, according to the Revenue Commissioners' annual report for 2001, which was released yesterday.

The most significant trend in the year was the increase in the value of herbal cannabis seized. A total of 13,208kg of the drug was intercepted, compared with just 128kg in the previous year.

The value of herbal cannabis, also known as "grass", seized was €57.97 million.

The total value of all drugs seized rose by more than 500 per cent to €60.63 million from €11 million in 2000.

Most of the herbal cannabis originated in South Africa and was detected in a small number of large consignments at Dublin Port. There were also 32 smaller seizures of the substance in passengers' bags at Dublin Airport. These consignments were typically between 10kg and 30kg each, according to the report.

A spokesman for the Revenue said "one theory which has been put forward" is that seizures of herbal cannabis have increased because of the rise in the number of refugees in the Republic. He said while cannabis resin was more popular with Irish drug users than herbal cannabis, that trend was reversed in a lot of African countries.

There was a significant increase in cigarette smuggling in the State. More than 161.2 million cigarettes were seized, an increase of 65 million, or 68 per cent, on 2000. Most of the cigarettes, 149.6 million, were accounted for by sea traffic.

The estimated retail value of consignments intercepted was €38.95 million.

The Revenue also established Operation Smokescreen during the year to intercept cigarettes and other excisable products being sold via websites operating in a range of countries, including Switzerland, Spain and Kazakhstan. As a result, 13,200 consignments, each of 200 cigarettes, were intercepted.

Thirty people were convicted for tobacco smuggling, resulting in €15,408 in fines being imposed.

There were 1,262 detections of the illegal use of duty-rebated Marked Gas Oil, also known as "green diesel", and 113 people were convicted, with fines of €85,897 being imposed. In an additional 1,006 cases, compromise sums totalling €491,564 were collected in lieu of proceedings or seizure of vehicles.

There were 3,032 cases of attempted general smuggling last year, with the Revenue receiving €342,672 in compromise settlements.

The Revenue's Customs and Excise Service continued to work with the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) last year through the provision of staff and disclosure of relevant information. A total of €23.49 million was paid over to Revenue by CAB in the year, up from £6.8 million (€8.6 million) previously.