Customs officers carrying out a search of a business premises in Co Louth today seized a large quantity of illegally imported cigarettes with potential loss to the exchequer of €9.4 million.
The cigarettes were found concealed in cavities in bulk packs of timber in Dundalk this morning.
Officers are currently examining 159 packs of timber to determine if all the packs have been used to conceal the cigarettes.
To date each pack examined contained 179,000 cigarettes, and a Revenue spokeswoman said the potential quantity of cigarettes recovered could be 28 million, with an estimated retail value of €11.8 million.
Packets of the Regal King Size brand were hidden in the cavity of packs of timber that had been shipped into the country and tracked to the site.
The seizure follows Europe’s largest seizure of smuggled cigarettes, when 120 million were discovered in nearby Greenore dock last October. Investigations are ongoing to see if they are linked.
Ash Ireland today welcomed the news of the seizure. Dr Angie Brown, chairperson, said the seizure "again highlights the very serious tobacco smuggling epidemic, which we are now experiencing in this country, and it is imperative that the Government takes further steps to address the issue”.
"The Government recently increased the maximum fine for smuggling tobacco in the Finance Bill from €12,695 to €126,960, however much more needs to be done either by way of amendments to Finance Bill or with further changes to our legislation," Dr Brown said, adding there was a need for further resources to be allocated to Customs and Excise.