Revenue seize tobacco, cigarettes and herbal cannabis worth €4.9m at Dublin Port and Athlone

Revenue officers at Dublin Port on Monday seized 12.3 kilograms of ‘roll your own tobacco’ during routine checks.

This was in addition to the 17.9 kilograms of herbal cannabis seized in Athlone worth almost €359,000.

In a statement, a Revenue spokesperson said: “The tobacco was branded ‘Golden Virginia’ and ‘Sopianie’ and has an estimated retail value of over €9,300, representing a potential loss to the Exchequer in excess of €7,000.

“The smuggled tobacco was discovered in a consignment manifested as ‘food’ which had originated in Poland and had arrived in a van via Cherbourg.

“Finally, last Friday, as a result of routine operations, and with the assistance of Revenue’s x-ray mobile scanner, Revenue officers seized approximately 6,000kgs of ‘roll your own tobacco’ and 2,400 cigarettes at Dublin Port.

“The smuggled tobacco and cigarettes, of multiple brands, have an estimated retail value of over €4.5 million, representing a potential loss to the Exchequer of almost €3.5 million.

“The contraband was discovered in a consignment manifested as ‘PVC Resin Floor Sealer’ which originated in Belgium and had arrived in an unaccompanied trailer via Zeebrugge.”

These seizures are part of Revenue’s ongoing operations targeting the shadow economy and the supply of illegal tobacco products and drugs.

If businesses or members of the public have any information regarding smuggling, they can contact Revenue in confidence on the free phone number 1800 295 295.