Revenue has seized 10.5 million cigarettes at Dublin Port, with an estimated value of more than €7 million.
The cigarettes were seized as a result of routine profiling on Thursday by Revenue officers, assisted by detector dog Waffle.
The illegal cigarettes, branded ‘Blue River', were discovered when officers searched a container from Vietnam that had arrived into Ireland on a vessel from Rotterdam.
The search, carried out with the assistance of Revenue’s mobile x-ray scanner and Waffle, led to the discovery of the cigarettes concealed within the load, which was disguised as furniture.
With an estimated retail value of €7,350,000, the cigarettes represent a potential loss of €5,754,000 to the Exchequer.
The seizure is part of Revenue’s ongoing operations targeting the shadow economy and the supply and sale of illegal tobacco products.
If businesses or members of the public have any information regarding smuggling they can contact Revenue in confidence on free phone number 1800 295 295.
