Customs seize over 12m cigarettes

Over 12 million counterfeit cigarettes have been seized following two separate operations by customs officers at Dublin Port in the last 24 hours.

The haul has an estimated retail value of €3.6 million with a potential loss to the exchequer of €3 million.

In the first operation a 6m (20 foot) container and van containing approximately four million Marlboro Light cigarettes was seized last night.

The container which arrived from China had its contents described as alloy wheels.

An Irish man was arrested at the scene and subsequently released. A file is being prepared for the DPP.

This morning a 12m (40 foot) container with approximately 8 million John Player Blue cigarettes was also seized.

The container from Singapore had its contents described as instant noodles.

To date this year customs officers have seized approximately 80 million cigarettes in Dublin Port.