CUSTOMS OFFICIALS and gardaí have seized cigarettes in Co Meath with an estimated street value of more than €3 million.
Some eight million cigarettes were seized in a warehouse in the Ashbourne area on Saturday night following a surveillance operation.
The goods had earlier entered through Dublin Port from Rotterdam, and it is believed that they originally came from Asia.
After the cigarettes, which are a brand not sold in Ireland, were found, the container in which they were held was returned to Dublin Port.
It is believed the cigarettes were destined for the UK market.
Retailers Against Smuggling, the representative group for Ireland’s tobacco retailers, praised the customs service but said more needed to be done.
Spokesman Benny Gilsenan said: “All we are getting are empty promises and a failure to act by the Government. National and international criminals are, on a weekly basis, taking advantage of our failure to punish smugglers.
“Cigarette smuggling is perceived as being a victimless crime but it is having a detrimental affect on the Irish retailer. We need greater collusion between all stakeholders – this is the only way we can tackle the issue effectively,” he said.
“As a group, we, the Irish retailer, lost almost €700 million for 2009 in tobacco sales despite the increased number of seizures last year. Until the Government starts to hand out appropriate sentences, Ireland is going to continue to be a target for the illegal cigarette trade . . . The legitimate Irish retailer cannot cope with the situation at present,” Mr Gilsenan said.
Retailers Against Smuggling recently claimed cigarette sales in shops had fallen 40 per cent in a year after in-store tobacco ads were banned. Mr Gilsenan said the year-old order had normalised criminal trade in contraband tobacco.
Kathleen O’Meara of the Irish Cancer Society said: “Tobacco smuggling . . . is most significantly undermining efforts by the Government to protect young people from the dangers of smoking and organised crime.”
