Republican paramilitaries are the main suspects in a £2 million sterling cigarette heist that took place in Belfast at the weekend, PSNI Chief Constable Hugh Orde said today.
Mr Orde refused to blame the IRA for the robbery, which saw a family held hostage, but he confirmed a report would be sent to the Independent Monitoring Commission (IMC) terrorist ceasefire watchdog.
Unionists immediately claimed the Provisionals were behind the weekend raid on a warehouse owned by tobacco giant Gallagher, and estimated the paramilitary organisation had raked in up to £15 million in similar crimes over the last year.
The IMC's next report will be critical in assessing whether the IRA has abandoned violence and restored enough confidence for devolution to return to Northern Ireland.
But a senior Democratic Unionist warned that involvement in major thefts could also stop them going back into a power sharing administration with Sinn Féin.
Ian Paisley Jr said: "Even if we have an end to decommissioning, as they claim there may be, we could not allow ourselves to be associated with any organisation that is making money from ill-gotten gains."
It is understood a gang held a family from the Ardoyne district of the city captive while a member of staff was forced to open up the warehouse on an industrial estate less than five miles away.