From: Independent.ie
By Tom Brady, Security Editor
CUSTOMS officers dealt a major blow to a crime gang after intercepting a haul of 38 million cigarettes being smuggled into the country — the biggest seizure in Europe so far this year.
Inquiries were stepped up last night at home and abroad following the massive find at Dublin Port.
The haul had a retail value of €14.7m with a potential loss in revenue to the State of €13.1m.
It was the third biggest seizure of smuggled cigarettes in the State, after the unprecedented find of 120 million cigarettes in Greenore, Co Louth, in 2009, and 70 million in Dundalk port in 2001.
Revenue Commissioner Liam Irwin said last night that the seizure was a significant blow to the crime gang involved in the illicit trade.
“Tobacco smuggling is organised fraud on a global scale.
“It brings criminality into our communities and robs millions of euros from the State each year,” he added.
The cigarettes were hidden in four 40-foot maritime containers. They had been described on the manifest as consignments of “wood briquettes” and were addressed to an Irish-based company.
The shipments of ‘Golden Eagiie’ brand cigarettes originated in Vietnam and were shipped to Rotterdam before being transported to Dublin.
The cigarettes were divided up equally over the four containers but were all linked through documentation.
Customs officers became suspicious following a risk profiling of the cargo and selected the containers for X-ray scans.
Officers said the scans showed “an anomaly” in the contents of the containers and after a more detailed inspection they found that boxes of wood pellets were being used as a cover load.
After making the seizure in the port, officers obtained a search warrant and raided a premises in Co Meath where documents were seized for examination.
A number of suspects were questioned by officers while others were interviewed about their knowledge of the shipment.
‘Bleeding’
Last night lobby group Retailers Against Smuggling (RAS) said it hoped the seizure would act as a wake-up call for politicians and make them realise that those involved were organised criminals, who were “bleeding retailers and the economy dry”.
The group called for a clamp- down on markets and fairs where illegal cigarettes were sold and a curtailment of social welfare payment for those convicted of cigarette smuggling and illegal selling.
The Irish Tobacco Manufacturers Advisory Committee said the market for illegal cigarettes would continue to grow until the Government increased enforcement on those stealing hundreds of millions of euro from the economy.
“It needs joined up thinking from the departments of enterprise, finance, justice and health as well as the gardai and the customs,” it added.
Counterfeit cigarettes are selling for around €32 for 200, while “illicit whites”, genuine products that are sold on the black market and have a much reduced quality control, are slightly more expensive at €35 to €40.
These compare with a price of around €9 for a packet of 20 legal cigarettes in the shops.
