Revenue seizes 10.5m cigarettes during search operation at Dublin Port

Revenue and Customers officers at Dublin Port seized over 10.5 million cigarettes during a search operation of a container yesterday afternoon.

A Revenue spokesperson said that the cigarettes were found in a shipment emanating form Asia, which traveled through the Netherlands.

The operation was a result of “route profiling,” it said.

The entire seized load has an estimated value of €7,350,000 which would have represented a €5,754,00 loss to the Exchequer.

In a statement, a Revenue spokesperson said: “The illegal cigarettes, branded ‘Blue River’ were discovered when Revenue Officers searched a container from Vietnam that had arrived into Ireland on a vessel from Rotterdam.

“The search, which was carried out with the assistance of Revenue’s mobile x-ray scanner and detector dog Waffle, led to the discovery of the cigarettes concealed within the load which was manifested as furniture.

“Investigations are ongoing. This seizure is part of Revenue’s ongoing operations targeting the shadow economy and the supply and sale of illegal tobacco products.”