Two charged over cigarette smuggling

Customs officers at Dublin airport yesterday seized cigarettes valued at €12,800 during a search of baggage.

Customs officers discovered 32,000 "L & M" brand cigarettes, representing a potential exchequer loss of €10,500.

Two Lithuanian nationals with addresses in Kaunas were arrested during a Customs operation targeting cigarette smuggling from the Baltic region.

The men who were arrested appeared before Judge William Early in the Dublin District Court where were remanded on €300 bail. Both had to surrender their passports and have been ordered to sign on daily at Store Street Garda Station.

Both men are due to appear again at Dublin District Court on Friday.

During the last three weeks, a total of seven people have been arrested for cigarette smuggling offences as part of a campaign against smuggling of cigarettes from the Baltics and Eastern Europe.

Customs Officers at Dublin airport have seized 19.75 million cigarettes and 2,290kgs of tobacco so far this year.