An armed gang tied up staff in a cash-and-carry store in Co Louth yesterday and stole a massive haul of cigarettes in what gardaí described as a "military-style" operation.
One woman and 11 men - three of them dressed as gardaí - took part in the raid at the cash-and-carry in Dundalk.
Cigarettes worth £80,000 were taken as well as a "substantial" amount of cash in the raid.
Workers were bound and assaulted before the store room at the Value Centre was cleared of its stock of cigarettes, which were driven away in three vans, a Garda spokesman said.
The raid happened yesterday evening when three men dressed gardaí went into the store and asked for the manager.
Another nine masked robbers then arrived, took the keys from the manager, and looted the store room.
Gardaí believe the raid could be linked to dissident Republicans.
Sources said they may have been trying to recoup some of the 60 million contraband cigarettes smuggled from Eastern Europe that were seized by customs in Dundalk and Warrenpoint last month.
PA